Truly Complete
by CelestialDragon219
Summary: Its been years since Naraku was defeated. Kagome has a few secrets that her friends do not know. With the arrival of Sesshomaru, the truth will come into the light. Come in and find out.
1. No Longer the Same

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**No Longer the Same**

The evening sun began to slowly give way to the moon and its darkness as it slowly settled beyond the horizon. The shadows gradually started to leak out of their hiding place, veiling the lands like a thick black blanket. The light of the moon and stars was the only thing keeping the hidden and terrible dangers of the dark at bay.

Lovers rested in each other's arms, whispering their eternal vows of love into the silent night. Family and friends joked and played as they relaxed in the light atmosphere their loved ones offered. But not everyone found the peace that they so deserved on this beautiful night. There was one individual that had no family to come home to; no lover to kiss away their worries and sorrows; no friends to help ease the pain of loss.

SKSKSKSKSK

The silvery light of the crescent moon in the sky bathed the lonely figure of a woman resting heavily against the old wood of an ancient well. Sweat rolled down along the female's ordinarily creamy caramel skin in small streams making her look pale and clammy. Blue irises, which at one point stood out like magnificent glittering sapphires, were dull and expressionless as they stared up at the moon. A thin layer of skin draped over the deep oceanic orbs as a light, cool breeze swept across the clearing causing goose bumps to ripple across her wet flesh; the traditional red and white miko garb she wore clung to her like a second skin.

The woman let out a deep sigh, trying, with no avail, to find comfort in the silence and the peace around her. Letting out another sigh, she simply stayed where she was, no thought running through her mind. Minutes passed, soon becoming an hour, and yet there she sat. However, it was the sudden shout of "Kagome" that made her snap back to reality. She pulled her weary eyes away from the moon hanging above her, seemingly by magic, and to the sound of a young masculine voice.

A flash of red, blue, and brown broke out of the forest and headed straight for her. The young woman made no move to defend herself from the flash; she simply sat there and waited as it closed the distance between them. As sudden as the flash appeared, it disappeared, leaving in its place a young man with long red hair, deep forest green eyes, a blue hakama and haori, and a brown fur vest. "Kagome?" the young boy spoke out as he stared down at said woman.

Kagome stared at the boy and allowed a smile to grace her pale face; pride swimming into the depths of her eyes as she realized that her son was growing up into a strong and handsome young man. "What's wrong Shippo?" She asked, her melodic voice making itself known. Shippo smiled down at his mother, his emerald eyes glittering with joy at seeing her. "I came to see what you were doing." He said, his smile soon disappearing as he took in her tired and worn out state.

"Kagome what have you been doing? Why are your cloths and hair drenched in sweat? Why does your skin look so clammy and deathly white? What are you doing to yourself mother?" He demanded, worry and slight anger apparent in his voice. Kagome simply shrugged. "It's of no consequence Shippo. I was just training." She replied as she took the hand Shippo offered. Pulling her up, Shippo turned his back on her for a moment and walked over to where her bow and quiver of arrows lay. Once he grabbed hold of them, he walked over to his mother and began to walk by her side as they made their way back to the village.

Shippo silently watched his mother. He watched as she slowly contorted her face into an empty expressionless mask with every step that they took. Once they entered the village, villagers waved and called out the young priestess's name which she responded to with a wave or a slight nod, but never with a smile. Shippo had long since noticed that the only time his mother would show emotion was with him. At times he would see her smile when she talked to Miroku, Sango, or Kaede, but even those times were rare.

Shippo stopped his musings as he noticed that they had made their way back to Kaede's hut. He pulled the bamboo mat open for his mother and then stepped inside once she did. Upon entering, four heads out of the seven there, snapped up to look at him and his mother. "About time you decided to join us Kagome. What the heck have you been doing? You reek." Inuyasha barked out as Kagome and Shippo took their places around the fire.

Kagome turned her icy blue eyes on Inuyasha and spoke out in a cold, emotionless voice. "What I do with my time, Inuyasha, is none of your concern. If I remember correctly, you were the one to make it so. Don't assume that just because I agreed to come on speaking terms with you again, I'll be answering to your every whim and call. Kikyo is here for that. So do me a favor and make her life as much as a living nightmare as you want, but keep your nose out of my business. As for how I smell, if you don't like it, leave."

With that said she turned her attention back to the fire and took the bowl that the old priestess offered her. Inuyasha simply stared at the miko, surprise written on his face while Kikyo glared at her from Inuyasha's side. Shippo smirked at Inuyasha's stupid look but then turned to take the bowl that Sango passed him. "Kagome, where have ye been?" Kaede asked as she looked at the woman before her. Kagome took a sip of the stew and shrugged. "I was by the well Kaede. That's where I'm always at." She said before she took a spoonful of venison into her mouth.

"The well?" Another female voice put in; this one belonging to her friend, Sango. Kagome nodded, chewing on her food slowly. "Lady Kagome have you been there all this time?" Kagome looked up, aqua irises clashing with violet, before answering. "Yes Miroku. I've been training there for the past three years." She said in the calm, respectful voice that she used when talking to the monk. The monk simply stared at the young woman who had, since the very first day he had met her, become a sister.

He took in the changes that the years had forced onto his friend. Once she would freely give everyone around her a smile, nowadays, she rarely smiled at all, even around them. Years ago there was a burning fire in her deep oceanic eyes and now all that remained of that fire were smoldering ashes. Throughout the years, her kind heart slowly broke to pieces until it began to resemble a cracked mirror; an iron wall guarding what was left of her fragile heart.

Where once there was a young girl unable to control her power, was now a strong, beautiful woman that could master even the hardest and most difficult spells. She could purify demons with a single word, cast barriers that would stretch for miles, and he suspected that she could do much more than he had been allowed to witness. Where once there stood a cheerful, loud, and carefree girl; now stood a woman who could rival Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's half-brother, in his quiet, icy and emotionless ways.

"Why?" The silence of the room was broken by Sango's soft voice. Kagome looked up and patiently waited for Sango to explain further; her face clear of emotion. Sango glanced at her sister and wished more than anything that the old Kagome was back. "Why do you go to the well Kagome? Why do you torture yourself over something that can't be changed?" She asked; her tone slightly above a whisper. Kagome closed her eyes and put down her empty bowl. She slowly stood up, walked over to the entrance and pulled the bamboo mat aside. As she exited the hut, she quietly replied. "I go there simply because I want to." With nothing else to say, she disappeared into the night.

* * *

A/N: This was meant to be a one-shot, but like always my brain runs away from me and makes it far longer than I plan it to be. I am now going to break it apart into multiple chapters. Thankfully, it's just about completed. One more chapter I believe. Also, this really doesn't have much of a plot if you're expecting one. I just thought that it would be sweet. Not to mention, I wanted to get it done.


	2. Fall Out

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

Fall Out

Kagome made her way along the worn trail that she used every day on her way to take her bath. It was a place that she had discovered years back. Three years to be exact. She had stumbled upon it on her way back to the village after one of her training sessions by the well; a place that was protected by her barrier; a place that only a select few could enter. It had been a year after the well had closed that she decided to return to the place that connected her to her futuristic home. Another year had passed before she decided to make the area around the well her sanctuary and was able to do so by placing a barrier with the radius of four miles around it. It had been another year later when she finally decided to train to her utmost potential and had been at it for three years after that.

Kagome stopped her musings as she stopped at a small hut that she had made for herself back when she had first put up the barrier. Opening the bamboo mat, she stepped into the hut and walked into another room to the side of the hut. She made her way to a small chest at the other side of the room and pulled it open. She pulled out two bottles, one containing shampoo and the other conditioner, things that she had made with her own two hands. Next, she pulled out another little bottle, this one containing body wash, a small cloth, and a towel that she had kept from her time. She placed the items into a medium sized pack and then moved to another chest just inches away from the one she was currently at. Shifting slightly, she opened the chest and pulled out a light sleeping kimono.

With those items in hand, she walked out of the hut and back onto the trail that lead to the hot springs. Once there, she put down her stuff and slowly began to take her clothes off. Folding them, she put them in a neat little pile. She stepped into the heated water of the spring and upon sitting, she instantly began to feel the stress of the day leave her body. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the boulder behind her. She allowed a few minutes to pass before she finally dunked herself completely under the water. Coming back up, she made her way over to where her pack lay. She pulled it open and pulled out the small cloth and body wash bottle. Placing a small amount on the cloth, she rubbed it together until it was covered in suds and began to wash the dirt and grime off her body.

She submerged her body to get rid of the suds then resurfaced. She was about to reach over for the shampoo bottle when a sudden and powerful aura entered her senses. For a short moment, her body went into fight mode before recognizing the aura and relaxing. She continued to reach for the bottle when her late night visitor made himself known. "What are you doing here miko?" The stoic voice of the Lord of the West rang out through the clearing. Kagome squirt some shampoo into her hand before massaging it into her hair. In a quiet and light tone, she answered. "Exactly what it looks like Sesshomaru-sama. This is my sanctuary. It seems that my barrier allowed you to come through, but I could expect no less."

Sesshomaru stared down at the woman before him and watched her, his gaze intense. Everything about her had changed. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke to him, her tone of voice, and her scent. Everything that once made her irritatingly annoying yet at the same time intriguing was gone and in its place was something similar to him. "You claimed this place? Is it not Inuyasha's territory?"

Kagome let out a small snort before dunking underwater. When she emerged, she reached for her conditioner bottle and started to massage the substance into her hair while she explained further. "This would be his territory if he bothered to protect it for a moment instead of following Kikyo all over the place like a lovesick pup. No, this is my territory. Inuyasha protects the rest of his lands but I protect this part and the village." She finished off as she ran her fingers through her hair in order to get the tangles out.

The majestic inu listened to her intently, not uttering a word. He was slightly amazed at the changes he had so far witnessed in her. _"A lovesick pup?"_ He thought to himself as he watched her disappear under water and then reappear moments after. "I take it that you no longer hold any feelings for the half-breed." He stated rather than questioned. Kagome sighed and leaned back against the boulder. "You are correct on that assumption my lord. I have long since decided that he was not worthy of my attentions. I finally got fed up with his lies, his insults, and his careless way of using my heart like some kind of chew toy." She paused for a moment as if contemplating her own words. "No Lord Sesshomaru. I certainly don't hold any loving feelings for your half-brother. I will reserve those feelings for a male who is worthy of me and for my pups, be it the one I have now or any others that the kami see fit to grant me."

She turned her attention to the god before her and bowed her head. "I'm ready to get out now. If it's not too much of an inconvenience, can you turn around for a moment? I must admit that I still haven't lost all of my modesty, my lord." Sesshomaru said nothing to this, he simply turned around and listened as the miko got out of the spring, dried herself off, and put on her clothes. "You may turn around Sesshomaru-sama." The miko called out from behind. Sesshomaru turned taking in the miko's choice of cloths. It was a simple sleeping kimono of a deep navy blue.

"You choose your colors well miko." He told her, having long since gotten use to speaking his mind with the strange onna that followed his hanyou brother. "My Lord is too kind." She replied. Looking up to the sky, she noticed the wind picking up. "My lord, if you have yet to find suitable place to sleep, I offer my home as shelter for you and your pack. I believe that a storm is on its way." She said to the inu several feet from her. Sesshomaru turned his back on her and began to disappear into the dense foliage, giving no word or gesture that he had acknowledged her kind offering.

Kagome watched him disappear and then began to put away her stuff, before heading back down the trail and entering her hut. She made her way to her room and put her items in their proper places. Walking into the main part of her house, she went about setting a fire. Once she had it going, she made her way to the other end of her home and into another room, this one with a bigger doorway then most of the other ones in the house. She pulled the sliding door open and went to the other end to do the same. With that done, she grabbed a few futons and took them to the main room, placing them neatly around the fire; then going back to retrieve some blankets and pillows.

Making sure that everything was done there, she made her way outside to a small stable and filled one bowl with grass, dried berries, and nuts, a blend that she found a lot of the animals liked, and took it to the room with the large doors. She returned moments later to fill another bowl with water. Locking the stable door, she went back to the room and placed the bowl next to the one that she had brought in previously. She made her way back into the main room and had begun to make tea when the tatami mat behind her was pulled aside and standing at the entrance was Sesshomaru.

Kagome stood up gracefully and bowed. "I knew that you would be coming, my lord. I have put out some futons for Jaken and Rin. Ah Un can go around to the side of the hut and enter through that opened door. Sesshomaru acknowledged what she said with a slight bow of his head. He stepped aside to let Rin in and quietly spoke to Jaken. "Jaken lead Ah Un to the side of the hut and have him enter through the door. Close it once you are in." He ordered. Jaken bowed and with a squeaky reply of "Hai Milord." He walked off to do his bidding.

Sesshomaru walked inside to find Rin talking animatedly to the miko. The young woman of sixteen summers stopped to look up at her father figure. "Lord Sesshomaru doesn't Lady Kagome have such a beautiful home?" She asked him, smiling brightly. Sesshomaru's only answer was "Hn." Kagome smiled lightly and stood up. "Please make yourself comfortable, My Lord. I will return shortly. I must return to Kaede's hut and retrieve my son as well as a few personal items." Without waiting for a reply, she walked over to the main entrance, grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows, and left.

Just as she began to make her way down the path to Kaede's, Sesshomaru's voice rang out through the clearing. "I will accompany you miko." Kagome looked back at him and nodded slightly. She waited for him to catch up to her before she began walking by his side. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Sesshomaru voiced his thoughts. "What has happened to you miko that has made you change so much?" Kagome remained silent for a second before quietly stating, "Too much to sum up in a matter of minutes, my lord." Sesshomaru looked at her from the corner of his eye. "But if it pleases you, I can tell you about it later when everyone is asleep."

"Very well miko." He replied then let the silence reign supreme once more. Sesshomaru continued to watch the miko from the corner of his eye and noticed that when they were just about to come out of the forest, her soft, innocent facial features became an emotionless mask similar to his. This small action caused his curiosity to spark but said nothing as the light from the village ahead became apparent.

Upon stepping out of the forest, the smells from the village assaulted his sensitive nose. Fighting the urge to frown, he continued on with the miko at his side. In a matter of seconds, the hanyou's scent revealed itself to him and in half that time, Sesshomaru was in front of Kagome, Tokijin and Tetsusaiga meeting in a hard clash of steel. "What are you doing here Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha demanded. Sesshomaru said nothing as he pushed the hanyou away from him, putting a good distance between the two. "You are foolish half-breed. You would be willing to kill your own companions just to get to me. You really are a disgrace." He told the hanyou as he watched his friends gather around him.

Inuyasha growled at the comment. "I don't care what you think jerk. What are you doing here?" He demanded again. "My business is my own half-breed. I don't answer to those beneath me." Sesshomaru remarked calmly. Inuyasha let out a feral growl. "You are in my territory so you do have to answer to me." He said as he made to charge forward. Suddenly, an arrow planted itself right at his feet, making him stop all movement. He looked up, golden irises hard with anger. "What the heck Kagome? What …"

All words left his mouth as he caught sight of Kagome with bow in hand and glowing arrow aimed at him, an action that surprised everyone around her even the demon lord beside her, despite the fact that he refused to show it. "Enough! Lord Sesshomaru is my guest and as such he has every right to be here; more right than you do, if I have anything to say about it. In case you have forgotten, Inuyasha, this village and anything within sixteen miles of the well is MY territory." She told him in an icy tone that Sesshomaru distinctly recognized as the one he used.

"Sixteen miles?" Inuyasha asked stupidly. "Yes Inuyasha, sixteen miles from the well. Let me break it down for you so that your brain doesn't bleed out on you. Try to imagine that I'm standing by the well, which is where I will be concentrating on making my barrier. Now picture that I stretch my barrier four miles to the north of the well, four miles to the south, four miles to the west, and four miles to the east. Are you with me so far?" Without waiting for an answer she continued. "By adding four and four together one finds that there are eight miles in total from north to south and eight miles in total from west to east. When you add eight and eight together it leaves us with the grand total of sixteen miles." Inuyasha stare at her stupidly, his brain still trying to digest her words.

Kagome continued to look at the hanyou with hard blue eyes, not caring that he looked confused. "While the village is not within my barrier, I still protect it, which makes it mine by right. Now if we're done here, I would like to get back to peace of my home, where I am sure Lord Sesshomaru would much rather be." Lowering her bow and putting her arrow back in the quiver on her back, she called out to her son. "Come Shippo. I'm pretty sure that you would like to see Rin and catch up with her." At the sound of his friend's name Shippo made his way to her side, bowing to Sesshomaru before standing silently by his mother. "Kaede I will return for my belongings some other day. I hope that you don't mind keeping them for a while longer?" Kagome asked the elderly miko. Kaede shook her head. "No Kagome child, I don't mind at all. You can get them whenever you wish." Kagome bowed to the miko in respect. "Thank you."

She turned to follow after Sesshomaru, who had already begun making his way towards to the forest. Everyone looked on as the beautiful miko, godly demon prince, and handsome kitsune disappeared from their sight, stunned into silence at the comfortable show of companionship they each had shared.

* * *

A/N: Finito! Chapter two is done. Hope you enjoyed Ja ne!


	3. True Alpha

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**True Alpha**

Shippo silently walked behind his mother and the demon lord that he had come to admire after the battle with Naraku a few years back. _'It's strange…'_ Shippo thought to himself as he stared at his mother's long onyx hair, completely marveled at how it glittered under the pale moonlight. _'Lord Sesshomaru is the only one who mother will allow to see her as she really is nowadays. It used to be Miroku and Sango but now not even they can see her as she once was. I wonder why that is. I wonder why she allows someone as cold and unapproachable as Lord Sesshomaru to see the real person she is instead of her trusted companions.'_ Shippo continued on.

Kagome turned her head slightly, feeling her kit's eyes on her. She smiled warmly when she noticed that he was deeply lost in his train of thought. "Shippo, my son, can you do me a favor and see if Rin, Jaken, and Ah Un are well?" Shippo smiled warmly up at his mother and nodded. "No problem Kagome. See you in a bit." He said as he ran off into the distance. Sesshomaru raised a brow. "Your kit is growing into his kitsune nature. He will have to begin training sometime soon if he wants to control his mischievous powers."

Kagome nodded. "I understand this. I have been suspecting it for a while now, but the thing is that I don't know anyone that can train him properly. I won't ask Koga. He'll take it as an excuse that I want to see him. Inuyasha doesn't have the patience that Shippo needs in order to learn correctly. Plus, I can bet that Inuyasha knows less about kitsunes than I do. I'm not a fox demon so I can't teach him the ways of the kind. There's also the fact that I know nothing of what a kitsune can do, even though I have read about them. I've tried to look for other fox demons but I can't venture very far without leaving the village unprotected. Inuyasha, Kikyo, and the others usually leave me to protect the village while they go off and defeat rogue youkai."

Sesshomaru listened to her and silently agreed on her opinion concerning Inuyasha. "Has the half-breed met any kitsune along the way?" He asked silently. Kagome shook her head slightly. "In all honesty, my lord, I don't know. If he has then he hasn't told me anything about it. As I'm sure you've noticed, Inuyasha and I are no longer on friendly speaking terms." Sesshomaru bowed his head faintly. "Yes I have noticed although I cannot fathom why."

Kagome remained silent for a moment as the denseness of the forest gradually thinned out eventually becoming a clearing. "I can tell you why later my lord. It is, after all, a part of why I have become what I am now." She said as they both made their way to her "hut". The two powerful entities walked inside to find Ah Un curled up next to Rin with Jaken sitting across from them.

Kagome looked around and scowled vaguely when she found that her son's aura was nowhere inside her home. She looked to Rin and gently asked. "Rin dear, do you know where Shippo has gone off to?" She asked. Rin looked up at her and grinned brightly. "Kagome-sama… Sesshomaru-sama… welcome back. He went hunting. I'm afraid that I haven't eaten. Please don't be mad at him for not being here. I would have gone myself but he insisted."

Kagome raised her hand to stop that girl from continuing. She smiled at the young woman. "I'm not mad, Rin. I'm actually quite glad that my son is willing to provide for you. Although I must apologize, had I asked you earlier, I would have brought you something to eat before heading out. Please forgive me for my ignorance." Rin shook her head. "It's no problem, Kagome-sama." She replied with her trademark smile.

At that moment, Shippo walked in, an already skinned and gutted rabbit in hand. "Gomen Kagome. I didn't mean to take so long." Kagome walked over to a chest a few feet from the door and opened it. She pulled out a pot and placed it at the center of the fire. "It's all right Shippo. Will you be a sweet and get me some water and vegetables from the garden?" Shippo nodded and went back out after handing Kagome the rabbit. "Milord may I go with Shippo?" Rin asked. Sesshomaru nodded his permission. In no time at all Rin was running out the door. Kagome smiled and shook her head before cutting up the rabbit into small chunks.

SKSKSKSKSKSK

(Mean while at Kaede's Hut)

After Kagome, Sesshomaru, and Shippo disappeared into the forest the group consisting of four humans, a demon, and a half demon made their way back into the hut of the eldest inhabitant of their group. Everyone settled back into their usual spots around the fire or against the wall. No sound was made for everyone was lost deep within their thoughts. Finally Inuyasha, never one to keep quiet for long, let out an angry growl. "What the heck is that wench's problem? I can't believe that she would shoot an arrow at me just to defend that bastard."

Sango snapped her head up as she heard Inuyasha insult Kagome; fury beginning to bubble up in her chest. "I'm not exactly surprised. In case you don't remember Sesshomaru was the one that treated her with respect back when he joined us to defeat Naraku. Kagome really took a liking to him. He protected Shippo as if he were his own. He was always saving Kagome's life whenever you abandoned her in battle to go save your precious Kikyo." Sango bit out at the hanyou while giving the woman next to him a heated glare. "No Inuyasha. I don't blame her for wanting to turn you into a pin cushion or a pile of ashes."

Miroku spoke up next. "Aside from what Sango has just stated, Inuyasha, you know how Kagome gets whenever a person intends to harm someone she's close to. You, Inuyasha, triggered that instinct whenever you attacked Sesshomaru and without due cause, which leads to another reason why she was so upset. You attacked Sesshomaru when he clearly had no ill intentions. If you had bothered to take a moment and feel his aura you would have realized that. You also would have known that Lady Kagome was with him. She has protected this village for years. I highly doubt that she'd go through all that trouble in keeping it safe just to let one demon destroy all her hard work."

Inuyasha stared at his friends as if they had grown a second head. "I can't believe you guys. You're supposed to take my side not hers; you're supposed to respect me. I'm pack alpha. She has to answer to me." Sango cut in. "That would be the case if she was still part of your pack, Inuyasha, but as it is, she's not. The day you decided that Kagome was no longer your problem was the day that she decided she was no longer a part of your pack. Should I remind you when that day was Inuyasha?"

Kikyo glared at Sango. "Why would he even care about that day? Why should anyone care for that matter?" Sango turned her angry chestnut eyes at the once dead miko. "You should care you ungrateful witch. If you think it was Inuyasha that gave you that body of yours, you're dead wrong. It was Kagome who made that wish." Turning to Inuyasha, she continued, "Kagome stopped being part of your pack on the day the well sealed itself five years ago. Five years Inuyasha. Five years that you stopped having any control over Kagome. She is no longer yours."

Kaede, who had been silent throughout the whole conversation, finally looked up from her seat at the back of the hut. "Aye Inuyasha, Sango has made a valid point. She now answers to her true pack alpha." She said absentmindedly while she neatly put away a stack of herbs. When she looked up everyone but Miroku stared at her. "What?" Inuyasha managed to choke out. "Who the heck is her true pack alpha?" Kaede shrugged. "Ye brother… Lord Sesshomaru."

The room suddenly went quiet. "Sess…Sesshomaru?" Sango stuttered out, her eyes wide with disbelief. Inuyasha growled out angrily. "When did this happen?" Miroku took a drink of his tea. "It may have been some time after he joined our group but I'm not exactly sure." Inuyasha glared at him. "You knew?" He shrugged. "I made an educated guess, Inuyasha. If you want the exact timing, you have to ask either Lady Kagome or Lord Sesshomaru, but I doubt that either will give you an answer."

Inuyasha looked in the direction of the forest despite the fact that he couldn't see it. _'Darn you Sesshomaru; how dare you take Kagome away from me.'_

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think. Until next time.


	4. The Truth

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**The Truth**

Two deep sapphire eyes looked up at the weeping heavens. Drops of water fell from the sky to the ground in abundance. The sound of thunder clashing could be heard in the distance as lightning danced among the clouds. A flash of white and silver to her left caught her attention and turned it over to her alpha. "It's beautiful, isn't it my lord?" She quietly asked. Sesshomaru looked up and admired the raw and dangerous beauty of the storm. He nodded before quietly replying. "Hai."

Kagome looked at the god like creature beside her. It was hard to believe that this demon was the same one that had tried to kill her well over eight years ago. Sesshomaru turned his attention to her, his brow slightly raised. "You're staring miko." Kagome averted her gaze. "Gomen Sesshomaru. It's just that I still find it kind of hard to believe that you were the very same demon that tried to kill me on many different occasions. It's almost impossible to believe that anything could bind us together when all that existed before was hate on one side and annoyance on the other. But I prefer having you as my alpha then as someone who wants to end my life on a daily basis."

She paused for a moment as she thought back to the times before the final battle. From their very first encounter to all the peaceful midnight walks and the countless conversations they had shared under the stars. She smiled happily. "Yes, I'm very content with the way things between us turned out and to be honest, my lord, I've missed our conversations. They were the only things that kept me going when I felt like just throwing it all away." She looked up at Sesshomaru once again. "You know, it's because of you that I became like this."

Sesshomaru, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her, raised a fine silver brow. "Explain…" Kagome's smile grew. "Despite the fact that you hated my guts, I had always admired you for your beauty and grace in battle. I, personally, never wanted to kill you; although, there were indeed times when I wanted to teach you a lesson." She paused. "I sometimes caught myself wondering if there was more to you than meets the eye, but I didn't know for sure until we actually started talking. When we had our first decent conversation, I realized that there indeed was more to you and it was through that one conversation that my respect for you grew and that I took a genuine liking to you. But it was also through those following conversations that I found myself taking on some of your characteristics. As the years progressed, those characteristics gradually began to manifest themselves in me until finally; I became somewhat of a mirror image of you."

Sesshomaru listened intently then thought back to the young kitsune that she had formally adopted. "That is not entirely true Kagome." Kagome looked up, a delicate black brow raised in question. "You show emotion when you are with your son. I have been watching you for a week now. I see the slight times you show emotion with those of Inuyasha's pack." Kagome nodded, looking away. "Yes. There are often times where I let myself go just long enough to enjoy my moments with Sango, Miroku, and Kaede. But most of the time, I just don't feel. Shippo, Rin, Jaken, and Ah Un see more of the real me then the others do."

She turned back around to look into molten pools of gold. "But it is you, my lord, who sees me completely." She said quietly. "Why?" The taiyoukai asked. Kagome shrugged. "I really don't know. It's probably because you are my alpha or maybe it's because you once accepted me for whom I was and respected me for my differences." Sesshomaru chose at that moment to look away and watch as the rain continued to pour down onto the earth below.

Kagome fell silent for a few moments, she too watching the rain. Minutes passed in comfortable silence. "I suppose you want to hear my story then…" Sesshomaru bowed his head once but remained silent. Kagome sighed. "It all started after the final battle…"

- Flashback -

_'Finally...'_ Kagome thought to herself as she looked around the battlefield. _'After three years of hunting for jewel shards…after three agonizingly long years, Naraku is gone.' _Her eyes stopped on the place where Naraku had been standing just moments before he was purified. The ground around her and as far as her eyes could see was nothing but red earth, soaked from the blood of her friends and that of her enemies. Scattered all around the field were the guts and body parts of demons. Trees were torn apart, some had been uprooted. All plant life looked dead due to Naraku's miasma. There were deep jagged holes in the ground from where Inuyasha's Wind Scar had hit. To those who had demon senses, the stench of death lingered heavily in the air.

Looking around for her friends, she saw a bleeding and battered Sango holding onto the body of her deceased brother, tears flowing down her cheeks in silent streams. Miroku, who was pretty much in the same condition as her, made his way over to her and hugged her close to his body. Inuyasha was standing next to the clay remains of her incarnation, a lost look in his golden eyes. Koga was sitting next to Ayame, his legs bleeding from where Naraku's tentacles had pierced through to get his shards.

Kanna and Kagura stood off to the side, silent as they looked on disbelief. Feeling eyes on them, the two creations turned to look at her; they smiled with gratitude and bowed to her. She smiled and nodded her head in turn. Her wondering eyes looked around for Sesshomaru and found him making his way over to Jaken and Ah Un who had been protecting Rin throughout the course of the battle. Shippo, she found, was making his way over to her as Kirara made her way over to her distraught mistress. She ran over to Shippo and swooped him up into a big hug. "Mama, I'm so glad you're okay!" Shippo exclaimed, his tiny hands holding onto her shirt tightly, too afraid to let her go.

Kagome said nothing. She simply hugged him close to her, crying tears of joy and sorrow. "Shippo…" she said once she had calmed. "Please go with Sesshomaru-sama." The young kit looked up at his mother and nodded. He hugged her neck once more before letting go and running over to the stoic lord, who had his eyes glued on the newest member of his pack. He nodded to Shippo, who went to stand next to Rin, and then returned his gaze to Kagome.

The futuristic miko made her way to where Naraku had been; searching for the sole object that had been the cause of so much pain and grief for so many years. There, sitting in the middle of burned earth, was the completed Shikon Jewel. The evil radiating off the cursed gem was so strong it made the miko sick to her stomach. A dark red aura hung around the black jewel, showing all those present just how much malice it had absorbed.

She reached for it, her holy power rising instantly to purify the tainted jewel. The second Kagome's fingers touched the jewel, it was purified. Lifting it up for a closer inspection, the young woman nodded in satisfaction. **"Well done Kagome."** Kagome looked up and around, seeing no one, she shook her head. _'I must really be tired. I'm starting to hear things.'_ The voice chuckled. **"No, you are not. I'm the spirit of Midoriko." **Kagome's eyes widened. _'Midoriko…?'_

Suddenly, the jewel began to glow, its pure power radiating throughout the clearing. Everyone that was demon tensed at the feel of such great power and turned to look at the cause of it as did the humans; their eyes, with the exception of one being, widened in disbelief at the sight before them. Standing in front of Kagome was the spirit of Midoriko in all her spiritual glory. Long, transparent black hair flowed down the woman's back. She wore the ancient colors of the miko, a white haori and red hakama. On the upper half of her body, she wore the armor used during her time.

The ancient miko's form was highlighted with a light pink glow. She took no notice of the others; her bright, chocolaty brown eyes rested solely on Kagome. Speaking in a voice low enough for only Kagome to hear, she said, "I thank you Kagome for putting the jewel back together and for purifying it. As a reward, you may make a wish. But heed my warning, youngling; it must be a selfless wish." Kagome looked around at all the damage that was done during the battle. Aware of all the eyes on her, she met Midoriko's gaze with her own. "I have no wish Midoriko." Looking down at the jewel, she said. "I only want to protect everyone from the curse of the jewel."

Midoriko watched her. "Are you willing to risk becoming a target for every demon and human who seeks it?" She asked, still talking quietly enough for Kagome to hear. She nodded. "Yes…" Midoriko smiled. "In that case, Kagome, I will use your wish and do something for you. With a wave of her hand, the bodies of both Kohaku and Kikyo began to glow. "I will give them back their lives, so that they may live it as they wish."

Kagome turned to look at both parties. She smiled sadly when she saw Inuyasha fuss over an unconscious Kikyo. However, it brightened when she saw Sango doing the same to her little brother. She smiled at the miko before her. "Thank you, My Lady." Midoriko shook her head. "You won't be thanking me for long." Before Kagome could ask what she meant, the jewel pushed itself into her body. She fell to her knees and let out a painful scream.

She watched through barely open eyes as a bright blue light surrounded her and Midoriko. "What did you do to me?" Kagome asked through clutched teeth as pain ran rampant in her body. Midoriko said nothing, choosing to remain silent until her pain was over. After what felt like an eternity to Kagome, the pain vanished. She looked up to see the transparent priestess smiling at her.

Before Kagome could say anything, Midoriko said, "You, Lady Kagome, have become the Shikon Jewel." Kagome stared in disbelief. "How can I be the Shikon Jewel?" Midoriko thought for a moment then said, "Throughout the years, the jewel has come to have a mind of its own. Yes, while it is, in fact, true that I created it; the jewel developed a power all of its own. It is this power that has allowed the jewel to become one with you. It is now one with your soul." She paused for a moment, watching as the missing part of Kagome's soul combined with the rest. She remained silent as Kagome flared blue for a moment, hissed in pain, then returned to normal. Midoriko continued talking while all this took place. "Its power is yours. But…" She hesitated for a moment.

Kagome raised a brow, confusion and fear starting to rise within her. "But what?" She asked the spirit. Midoriko stared at her while she replied. "I believe that the jewel thought that your human shell was not strong enough to house both your incredible power and that of its own, so it gave you a new one." Kagome stared. _'A new one…?'_ She looked down at her hands and what met her eyes had her gasping in surprise.

Her human nails were replaced with demon claws, and two silver blue stripes adorned each of her wrists. Instantly, her hands went up to feel her ears. The round human shaped ears were replaced by pointed elvin ears. She stood up in a smooth, fluid motion; another demon quality. She felt for her hair and discovered that it had grown to her ankles. Bringing her hair forward, she discovered that she had silver blue streaks mixed in with her onyx black hair. Looking at Midoriko, she noticed that her eye sight was much clearer and her hearing and smelling abilities far more sensitive.

"I'm a demon now?" She asked quietly, still not able to believe it. Midoriko nodded. "What about my powers? I'll purify myself if I use them…" Midoriko raised a hand. "It should be so but I don't think so. I think that the jewel found a way to combine your jaki and your reikai together so that you don't end up hurting yourself." Kagome nodded. "There's only one problem." The priestess opposite her cocked her head to the side. "What is that?"

Kagome looked at her hands. "I'm not ready for them to see me like this. I need to train and see what I can do with my new body. I don't want to risk getting killed simply because I don't know the workings of a demon. I was born human. Up until three years ago, I didn't know that I was a miko. I've trained but I'm still mediocre. I want to know this body like I did my human one, so that I don't have to worry about being an easy target."

Midoriko nodded in understanding. "Do you have beaded necklace?" Kagome nodded and pulled out the one she had made just weeks prior. She handed it over to Midoriko who took it in turn. Kagome watched silently as the woman's transparent hands closed over the necklace and began to chant, a soft pink glow enclosing her hands and necklace. Within seconds, the glow disappeared and Midoriko handed her the necklace. "As long as you wear that necklace your demon self is hidden from everyone. You'll look exactly as you did before."

Kagome accepted the enchanted necklace and put it around her neck. She looked at her hands and noticed that the markings and the claws had vanished. She smiled at Midoriko and bowed; a small "thank you" coming from her lips. Midoriko bowed her regal head in acceptance. Both watched as the light around them began to recede until it was gone completely. In its place stood her friends, all of them looking relieved but none dared to move or say a word. Raising her voice slightly, Midoriko spoke. "I thank you all for what you have done here. Now, I can finally rest in peace." To Kagome she said, "Remember Kagome." Kagome nodded.

Everyone watched as the spirit of Midoriko shrunk to a glowing orb and disappeared into the heavens. Kagome rested her hand on the beaded necklace around her neck and looked at her friends, each one looking back at her. Her eyes stopped when they came upon Sesshomaru, who stood just feet to her left. His eyes traveled down to the necklace then back to her face, giving her a questioning gaze. She shook her head. _'I'm sorry, my lord, but I'm not ready to share this with you.'_ Looking at her friends, she continued._ 'I'm not ready to share this with any of you.'_ Smiling, she assured them that she was perfectly fine. When they asked her what Midoriko has told her, she waved it off. Looking away from them and up to where Midoriko's soul had faded away, she told them. "I'll tell you some day."

- End of Flashback -

Sesshomaru had gone from looking at the sky to staring at her with slightly widened eyes. For the life of him, he found it hard to believe that the young miko by his side was a demon and had kept it from him for so long. He couldn't decide what he thought of any of it. Instead he simply said, "Show me." Kagome looked at him with wide eyes, somewhat shocked at his abrupt demand, but nodded. She pulled off the necklace and bowed her head, refusing to look at him, fearing his reaction to her secret.

Sesshomaru's golden gaze took in her new form as it slowly appeared before him. Silver blue streaks in her obsidian black hair, shined under the light of the lightning. Wrapped around her waist and over her left shoulder was a tail to match. Her skin was still a creamy caramel color only now it was flawless and had more luster. Her claws, long and fatally sharp, were an extremely light silver blue color. Both of her wrists had two shimmering silver blue stripes, which he guessed felt as velvety to the touch as his own. He lifted a hand and placed it under her chin, ignoring how good her skin felt against his own, and lifted her face.

He said nothing at her startled expression, choosing instead to examine her face. Looking into her eyes, he couldn't help but stare into those silvery pools; the feeling of wanting to drown himself in them nearly consuming him. He moved his amber gaze away from her silvery one and looked at the two shimmering silver blue stripes that she had on each of her cheeks as well as the ones on her eyelids. Finally, he looked at her forehead and was startled by what he saw; a silver blue inu standing on its hind legs, its front paws up in the air as if were ready to attack.

He took in a deep breath, taking in her scent. He fought against the urge to growl his approval; she smelled so delicious to him. Looking at her hands, which were fiddling nervously with the beaded necklace, he realized why her scent had smelled different to him after the battle and why it was that he could never figure it out. While she had been human, she scent had been of sunshine, lavender, a touch of honey, and just a drop of raw power. It was a scent that calmed the blood of his beast on many occasions, something that had always confused him as much as it angered him. However, his superior nose couldn't pick up the new, drastic changes in her scent for the necklace had hidden them, but now that he could get a whiff of it, it stirred his blood and the beast within.

He thought for a moment, wondering why her scent could have changed. _**"Her scent changed because the more that she trained with her demon body... the more she used it and grew used to it, the more the beast within began to manifest itself."**_ Sesshomaru's beast told him. Sesshomaru agreed with the beast, finding no other reasonable explanation. Breathing her scent in again, his mind memorized the changes and stored it with everything else that he knew of the miko turned demon.

The sunshine, that at one time had represented her overwhelmingly cheerful nature, was replaced by a summer's rain shower; cool, refreshing, pure. Lavender gave way to sakura blossoms; soothing yet beautiful. The touch of honey was gone and in its place was the scent of sun ripened berries; sweet, rich in taste, mouth watering. The drop of raw power had evolved into a raging thunderstorm of power both controlled and untamed; he could feel it like a heavy veil draped over her. He heard it humming in her veins. He could almost taste it in its intensity.

He turned away from her. "Do you know what kind of youkai you are?" He asked her. Kagome looked at him, afraid and uncertain of what his opinion might be. "At first, I thought that I was something from the canine or feline family but after I saw the tail, I figured that I was an inu since it was so much like yours." She said her voice soft. Sesshomaru nodded slightly. "You guessed correctly." He told her, not liking the way her aura dripped with her negative feelings.

Kagome smiled slightly. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru. I'm sorry for not telling you." Sesshomaru gazed at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm sure that you had your reasons but all the same, why did you not tell me?" Kagome opened her mouth to say something then shut it. Her face pouted in confusion. Looking up at Sesshomaru once more, she simply said. "I honestly don't know why I didn't tell you. Maybe I was afraid that you'd reject me. All I know is that when the jewel changed me, I simply didn't want any demons within the area to come after me. I, for one, didn't know what my new body could do and I would have been an easy target. I didn't think it would be wise to be seen like that."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes a bit. "You did not trust in my ability to protect you." He whispered out, his voice soft and angered. Kagome tensed as she felt his aura flare with suppressed rage. Instantly, she said, "It's not that Sesshomaru. I knew that you could protect me if need be but I didn't really think about that. I guess it was because most of us were already hurt from the battle that I thought it was best to keep my new form hidden under the spell of the beaded necklace."

Sesshomaru relaxed slightly, accepting her answer. Looking away he said. "Who knows of your secret?" Kagome smiled. "Just you… I haven't told Shippo for the reason that Inuyasha and the others would suspect that he knew something that they didn't and I know that Inuyasha would be hounding him. I never told the others simply because we were rarely around each other." Sesshomaru moved to brush aside a strand of his hair while listening as thunder rolled in the distance. "Will you be telling them?"

Kagome shrugged. "I really don't know. I waited until you came back to tell you first. I needed to know if it was okay with you." She told him, her voice lowering in volume until it was a whisper. She looked away from him, not wanting to admit to herself that his opinion mattered to her above all things. "You are a beautiful and powerful demoness, Kagome. You should take pride in being an inu for we are the most powerful of the canine race."

Kagome, surprised by his comment but loving it nonetheless, blinked away tears of joy, her fear of him not accepting her washing away with his words. "Arigato Sesshomaru." She whispered. He nodded once, looking away from her and ignoring the sudden emotional flare of her aura. _'Even now this creature is driven by her emotions.' _Sneaking a glance at her from the corner of his eye, he wondered, _'What is it about this girl that makes this Sesshomaru act so out of character? Why do I miss her so much and feel incomplete when she isn't around me?'_

Kagome took in a deep breath, calming her raging emotions but highly unaware of the emotions raging within her demonic companion. She looked up at the sky and relaxed as she watched as the thunder and lightning receded and left only a light rain. She smiled, happy for the change of atmosphere. Lying down on her side, she curled into a small ball, her tail wrapping around her to keep her warm. "I don't need to tell you what happened on the way back to the village since you were there. Once we returned to the village, everyone celebrated the end of Naraku. Everything seemed so perfect to me. I was there with you, Rin, Jaken, and all my friends. Everyone was alive and well even if still a bit battered."

She paused for a moment. "However, when it was time for you to go, I got sad. I had allowed myself to depend on you, not for protection, but for my peace of mind. I always looked forward to our conversations when everyone went to sleep. I even liked walking next to you while we searched for Naraku. But that night, I couldn't leave my friends behind. Then there was that promise I made to Inuyasha. I hated every second as I watched you leave. I hated it so much…" Then thought to herself, _'…because before I knew it, I had allowed myself to fall for you.'_

Out loud she said, "I went home that night and told my family everything that happened. I stayed for a few days then returned to the feudal era, promising that I would visit them again." She smiled bitterly. "I wish I had known how wrong I was. I waited a month to return home. I had grown tired of Inuyasha and his continued insults. Even with Kikyo there, he compared me nonstop. Calling me weak, ugly, annoying, stupid, and anything else his stupid brain could come up with. When he wasn't busy insulting me, he was busy with Kikyo. Sango and Miroku had gotten married and had left to the Slayer village for a while. Shippo was always playing with Kohaku and the village children. I found myself alone; bored and missing Rin, Jaken, Ah Un, but most of all, you. I started to train with my demon powers, to lessen my loneliness. When I finally got fed up with Inuyasha, I went home."

She blinked as tears started to make their way down her cheeks unnoticed. "I had hoped that they would be there to lift my mood. Only to find that they had all died. The house had caught on fire. It burned to the ground taking with it my mother, my brother, and my Jii-chan. After the first time I fell down the well, my life in the future became nearly nonexistent. My family was the only thing keeping me there but when I saw my home burned to ashes and my family gone, I found that there was nothing for me to return home for. I took what little valuables were left at the shrine and left, sealing the well."

She never noticed that Sesshomaru was looking down at her, a strange emotion swimming in the depths of those golden pools. She just continued to stare off into space. "When I got back, Inuyasha was even more aggressive. I don't know what happened or what had been said but he lashed out at me. Calling me all sorts of names; saying that he didn't want any whores in his pack. He told me that I was to live on my own and that if he ever crossed paths with me again, he'd kill me. He was leaving when he said, whatever ended up happening to me, he didn't want to know nor did he care. He said that I was no longer his responsibility."

She stopped for a moment, trying to calm herself. Sesshomaru took the moment to say, "What did you do after that?" Kagome remained quiet for a moment then said, "I was hiding the last remaining treasures of my family, when I decided that I would leave. I told Shippo to stay with Inuyasha. I told him that I needed some time alone. He agreed to stay but made me promise to return to him safely. I packed a few changes of clothes and left the village. I wondered around for days, feeling so numb inside. A month after leaving Edo, I found a village whose miko decided that she would help me train. I agreed and so I stayed there, training my miko powers to a point in which I could control it and shape it to fit my needs."

Pausing for a breath, she continued. "I practiced meditating, the lessons you thought me on sword fighting and hand to hand combat. There was a ninja in the village, who taught me stealth, some different techniques in hand to hand, their style in sword fighting, and how to fight with daggers and throwing stars. I practiced day in and day out. Before I knew it, a whole year had passed by and it was time for me to return to Edo. To say that the others were surprised was an understatement. I had grown cold and distant during my stay with Hitomi, the village miko, and Kai, the ninja. I learned to control my emotions during battle and that lesson had stayed with me when I returned.

"They had asked me questions of why I had taken so long to return and I told them that I had things to do. Inuyasha had asked me to forgive him. I simply said that for the sake of our friends I would come on good terms with him again. After that I went to visit the well to replace the seal with a stronger one so that no one could sense it. The others had followed and asked why I didn't go see my family. I never told them that they had died so all I told them was that the well had sealed itself on the day that I left a year ago. As the days passed they began to notice the changes in me. I would always be somewhat distant with them. A month after I returned I formally adopted Shippo as my own and allowed him to see something of the old Kagome.

"I trained with my demon body privately by the well for another year, never letting up even when I had to protect the village while Inuyasha and the others hunted rogue youkai. After the year was over, I put a barrier around the well to protect it and make it my personal sanctuary, claiming it as my own along with the village. I made myself a small hut much like Kaede's and added some more as the time passed. I've been here ever since. Waiting for you to return so I can finally get this off of my chest." She finished off, her silver eyes on his regal image.

Sesshomaru looked at her. He could feel the sorrow pouring off of her even though her face looked calm. "You never allowed yourself to grieve for your family, have you?" Kagome nodded. "I thought that it would make me weak. I was tired of being weak. I wanted to be strong and up until moments ago, no tears were ever spilt." Sesshomaru silently stood up from his spot on the ground and slowly made his way back into the hut. His parting words were, "I suggest that you let them go now. Their souls won't be able to rest in peace otherwise." Inu Kagome looked at the blank spot before her with wide, teary eyes. She smiled thankfully, closed her eyes and allowed five years' worth of tears to finally run free.

* * *

A/N: This quite a bit longer than the rest of the chapters. I didn't want to cut it up into two. I hope you liked it. Good night.


	5. What Tomorrow Brings

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**What Tomorrow Brings**

Dark, golden irises stared down at the petite woman that was currently curled up into a ball, fast asleep. He silently contemplated how such a small creature like her could cry so much. He had gone inside with the intension of giving her some privacy. The smell of her tears was erased by the falling rain but her small whimpers let him know that his alpha female was still there. Minutes had passed, than an hour, than two hours and still her sobs wouldn't lessen in their intensity. The rain had stopped falling an hour later but her tears continued on. Finally, half an hour later, her tears calmed and her sobs quieted until they stopped completely.

He waited a few moments than stood up and walked over to where they had been conversing just hours prior. He didn't know what he was expecting to find but it sure wasn't what lay before his eyes. The calm, collected young woman from before was gone and lying there on the floor was a beautiful inu, curled into a ball, looking like a lost pup. He allowed himself to release a tired sigh before picking her up and taking her inside. He walked over to the room where her scent lingered the most and knelt beside the futon at the center of the room. Putting her down gently, he began to move away when a tiny, silver blue clawed hand clamped onto the sleeve of his haori.

Sesshomaru looked down to the hand that grasped him than to Kagome's face. Glittering silver stared into shimmering gold. Kagome's hand tightened slightly as she whispered. "Please… don't go. Stay…" Her eyes drifted close as her last words slipped out of her lips. "Please stay with me." Sesshomaru looked down at the sleeping woman before him and couldn't help but chuckle softly. He stood up and took off his armor and haori, than laid down beside Kagome, his chest to her back and arms circling around her waist. As the two inus' succumbed to sleep, neither noticed Sesshomaru's silver tail curl around Kagome's smaller form or Kagome's silver streaked, black tail intertwining with his and snuggling deeper into the warmth and protection that her alpha and secret love provided.

SKSKSKSKSK

A single brilliant ray of golden red sunlight snuck its way in through the sole window that occupied Kagome's room. It spread across the wooden floor to rest across Kagome's beautiful ivory face. A small frown marred her once peaceful face. Closed eyes squinted open to reveal silvery pools. Kagome released a soft growl and moved to raise a hand to her face, but jerked to a stop when she felt velvety flesh rub against her own. With this new discovery, she finally noticed the warm chest pressed to her back, the arm wrapped around her waist, and the silver tail wrapped around her.

'**Silver tail?'** She thought to herself and blushed fiercely when her memories of the previous night entered her foggy mind. She stiffened when she heard Sesshomaru's deep chuckle from behind her. "Good morning." He said; his voice sending delightful shivers up and down her spine. "Good morning." She responded back, hoping against hope that he wouldn't notice the lustful tone to her voice or the way her body heated up from simply being pressed up against him.

Unfortunately for her, he did notice the slight purr to her normally smooth tone as well as the delicious smell of her arousal. This, however, caused him to pause for a moment, making him realize the one thing that had been under his nose the entire time; her attraction to him. Wanting to see the truth in her eyes, he disentangled his arms from around her waist in order to flip her onto her back.

Kagome's eyes widen when she felt him disentangle himself from her only to flip her over. Silver clashed with gold. Luminous strands of moon kissed hair cascaded around her head like a white, silky curtain. "Sess…" She began but something in his eyes stunned her to silence. She stared straight into those molten pools of gold that she loved so much and unconsciously allowed her feelings for him to surface.

She allowed a single clawed hand to reach up and trace his markings. Sesshomaru watched her intently as she looked up at him and touched the markings on his face. There, in her eyes, was the answer that he was looking for, but he was wrong in his conclusion that she was simply attracted to him. No, what she felt wasn't as simple as a mere attraction. What she felt for him was love; pure, undying love.

For the 100th time since he had met the little onna, he found himself thinking that he very much liked the idea of settling down and making her his mate. Closing his eyes, he realized that her touch had always soothed him, making him feel relaxed and carefree. He opened his eyes and grabbed her hand with one of his. Kagome, who until that moment had been on cloud nine, snapped out of her daze; her eyes widened slightly. "Sesshomaru, I'm sorry. I don't…"

Sesshomaru quickly pressed his lips against her, stopping her from finishing. Kagome gasped in surprise, never once expecting the Western lord to kiss a being such as herself. Sesshomaru, inwardly smirking, took advantage of the gasp and slipped his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. Within moments, Kagome began to respond to his kiss, pressing her lips to his, their tongues dancing together, each making an attempt to gain dominance. Finally, Kagome relented and allowed herself to simply drown in the sensations that he caused.

Electricity passed from his lips throughout her body. Liquid fire scorched its way along the path that his hands and fingers made on her along her clothed flesh. Her lower stomach tightened with a burning need she knew only he could extinguish. But it soon ended when the sounds of feminine giggling and a masculine cough broke them out of their daze.

Kagome blushed bright red before forcing herself to look at the two younglings standing just inside her door, slightly relieved that Sesshomaru hid her from their view. Sesshomaru looked at the blush that stained her cheeks and smirked. He remained still for a few moments to allow her some time to recover. When he felt that she was under control again, he stood to his full regal height and began to dress. Kagome stood up soon after him and began to fold the blankets and set them at the foot of her futon, all the while ignoring the stares that she received from the children.

"Okaa-san?" Kagome turned to look at her son and gave both him and the surprised Rin a fanged smile. "Good morning you two. Sleep well?" The young kitsune and human nodded. "Mama how did…" Shippo stopped when his mother shook her head. "I'll explain later Shippo. Prepare to go to the village. It's my turn to make breakfast." Shippo nodded and with nothing else said, he grabbed Rin's hand and pulled her along.

Sesshomaru watched the interaction with disguised interest. "You are going to tell the others?" He asked Kagome as he watched her slip out of her wrinkled outer kimono. Kagome turned to him and nodded. "I don't see why I shouldn't. I wanted you to be the first to know. I wanted to see if I had your approval. I got it and as such I don't have to hide anymore."

Sesshomaru nodded in approval. He walked up behind her when she turned away from him. He moved his hands to remove her inner kimono as he dipped his head and licked her neck as it dropped to the ground. He felt her shiver under his touch and smirked. "Kagome, I have been thinking on this for many years and I believe that now would be a good time to ask. Would you allow me the honor of courting you?"

Kagome gasped and turned to face him. She looked into his eyes to see if he was serious, but seeing that he would never joke about something of that magnitude. She smiled her first big smile and hugged him tight. "I accept your proposal Sesshomaru." The inu gave a small smile of his own and moved her head to the side. "Then I will give you my courting mark." His fangs elongated and he bit down on the juncture between her shoulder and neck.

Kagome hissed slightly from the unexpected pain but after a few seconds, it dissipated. Sesshomaru reached for the baby blue colored inner kimono that rested on the chest closest to them, all the while licking the wound shut. He pulled the kimono around her slender form before reaching for the silver white outer kimono, whose sleeves and collar were decorated with pink sakura petals. He pulled that kimono around her. Kagome smiled gratefully up at him then moved to wrap a baby blue colored obi tight around her waist.

She turned to slip her feet into a pair of matching silver white slippers before brushing her hair out. Sesshomaru admired her beauty like he had many times in the past. "Come, my dear." Sesshomaru said as he held a clawed hand out to her. Kagome took hold of his hand with a small blush staining her cheeks. They walked out of her room and into the main area where Jaken, Shippo, and Rin awaited them. Without a word, Sesshomaru and Kagome walked out of the hut, Shippo and Rin following close behind them with an awestruck Jaken at the rear.

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A/N: Thank you all. I couldn't believe how many favorite and follow alerts I received for this story. Also, thank you to all my reviewers. You all made my day. I don't plan to abandon this story and thankfully. I have the majority typed up already. I hope you enjoy this installment of "Truly Complete". Good night.


	6. Sesshomaru

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**Sesshomaru's Wrath**

Two furred triangles sitting on top of a rich mound of silver hair, twitched slightly as the sounds of the waking village filtered their way to them. The sounds of roosters singing to the rising sun announced to everyone still abed that it was the start of a new day and that it was time to wake up. Pale lids opened to reveal stunning amber orbs, still glossy with sleep. "Stupid chickens" Inuyasha muttered from his spot against the wall of Kaede's hut.

He looked around, taking note that his pack was still asleep. Rustling to his right brought his attention to the tatami mat the covered the entrance of the room in which Kaede resided in. He watched as the old miko stepped into the main room and began the task of lighting a fire. "I thought today was the wench's turn to cook breakfast." Kaede looked up from what she was doing and scowled slightly. "Inuyasha, ye should have more respect for one that was once of your pack and yes it is Kagome's turn but seeing as she has guests, she might not be able to come." She told the inu hanyou offhandedly.

"Feh" Inuyasha replied turning his head to look at the miko sleeping at his feet. His eyes softened considerably as he looked at the woman he had always loved. He was about to reach a hand out to brush away a loose strand when the sudden flares of five auras came within range of his senses. He recognized the auras of Shippo, Lord Stick-up-his-butt, Lord Stick-up-his-butt's brat and toad but not of the other individual that accompanied them. Instantly a furious growl erupted from his throat at the thought that his brother had done something to Kagome.

He jumped to his feet in one fluid motion causing the rest, who had awakened at the sound of his growl, to do the same. "What is it, Inuyasha?" Sango asked as she reached for oversized boomerang. "Someone I don't know is coming over here with Sesshomaru, Shippo, and those of Sesshomaru's pack. I don't sense Kagome anywhere." He bit out as he felt them come closer. He was about to put his hand on Tetsusaiga when a smooth feminine voice said, "Don't even think about it Inuyasha."

Inuyasha paused at the sound of the voice he could easily recognize. Dark brows furrowed together in a scowl of confusion. His ability to smell and sense auras told him that the young miko from the future was nowhere near them and yet his ears told him that she was close. "Kagome?" he asked, a hint of his confusion leaking into his normally loud voice. Golden eyes watched as Shippo and "Sesshomaru's Brat", as his brain had conveniently named her, walked into the hut, followed by the "ugly toad", and finally Lord Stick-up-his-butt and a beautiful dark inu.

Honey irises widened at the sight of such a beautiful female, his tanned cheeks staining with a slight red tint. He drank in the sight of her long ink colored hair and silver blue streaks to her matching eyes and markings. Her shapely body so deliciously wrapped in her simple kimono to her creamy skin and finally to her tail elegantly wrapped around her in a similar fashion to his brother's.

Sesshomaru watched as the hanyou whelp ogled his intended and bit back the urge to rip the boy to shreds. Instead he turned his cold, calculating eyes to the others of the half breed's pack stared at the female they had known for so long and yet had no clue who she was. Feeling Kagome shift from his side, he snapped his attention to her as he watched her seductive little body make its way to the old miko, her clawed hand outstretched to take the pot from the human's wrinkled hand. "I'll take that Kaede. It is my turn to make breakfast after all." He heard her say.

The shocked feeling that radiated off of the others was so thick in the air he could almost taste it. Ignoring the humans, he made his way over to the furthest corner from Inuyasha and his once dead miko and took a seat; Rin, Shippo, and Jaken immediately taking places close to him. "Kagome child, is it really ye?" Kaede's stunned voice rang out clearly in the silence. Kagome nodded and raised a clawed hand to the others. "Yes Kaede, it is me and before you guys start asking questions, I'll tell you everything as I make breakfast. Now sit down, be quiet, and don't say a word until I'm through."

As she sat down and cut up everything she would need for the morning meal, she retold the story that she had told Sesshomaru the night before, leaving out anything they had no business in knowing. As she spoke, she mixed up the ingredients and used her demonic hearing to gauge the reactions of her friends and reluctant acquaintances. By the time she came to the rest of her story, the food was finished and she was passing out bowls of stew for everyone. She paid them no mind as she walked over to Rin and Jaken and handed them their bowls before returning and grabbing two more.

She handed one to Shippo as she passed him and handed down to Sesshomaru. "I don't know if you want any, but I wanted to offer just in case." Sesshomaru kept his face void of emotion, but the glow of his golden eyes as he met her gaze and the caress of his hand against hers as he accepted it from her informed her how pleased he was with her considerate act. Kagome had returned to serve herself a bowl when Sango spoke up. "All this time, you've been keeping this from all of us. Why? Didn't you trust us?"

Kagome silently moved over to Sesshomaru and took her place by his side. "It has nothing to do with trust Sango. When all of this happened we were all injured and tired. I was suddenly given a new set of powers and a brand new body. I didn't want to be a danger to myself or to anyone else. I wanted to have the liberty to get to know what this new form could do without getting killed on my first day. Then everything else happened and I distanced myself from everyone with the exception of Shippo and Sesshomaru-sama's pack."

She paused for a moment at the discontented growl the demon beside her made when she called him so formally. She gave him an apologetic smile, much to the others confusion. She turned to the others once again, "Afterwards, it was all just a matter of letting Sesshomaru know about my secret and getting his approval. He's my alpha and as such he has the right to be the first to know." Inuyasha growled at Shippo at that last part. "Since when is he your alpha and why the heck didn't you tell us about this you little runt?"

Kagome growled deep in her throat. "First of all, Inuyasha, Shippo is my son and you have no right to speak to him in such a manner. Second, I never told Shippo because I didn't want to you to suspect anything and harass him. I was protecting him from you. Third, had I chosen to tell my son my secret, he wouldn't have had to answer to you. He is a part of Sesshomaru's pack, not yours and interfering with members of pack not your own without the alpha's permission would have cost you your life. Finally, I have been a part of his pack about a month after he joined us."

Inuyasha rumbled a threatening growl as he stared at the woman. Sesshomaru answered with a resonating growl of his own, the others trembling in its ferocity. His youkai uncoiled from deep within his being and pressed against Inuyasha's body, suffocating him in its intensity. "You dumb wench. I wonder if you had to roll over on your back to make this bastard so protective of you. Why didn't I receive the same treatment? It would have made all that wasted time and energy worth it." Inuyasha suddenly found himself lifted from his place on the ground and tossed out of the hut.

His body skid and rolled across the ground until he came to a stop. He could barely move his head upwards to watch as his half-brother walked out of the hut, having the common sense to not damage the old miko's. Sesshomaru released his suppressed rage and appeared before his brother in a silver flash. Clawed fingers, glowing green, wrapped around his thick neck. Inuyasha released a grunt as he was slammed repeatedly into the ground with crushing force.

"I never could make out if you were born an idiot or if you simply acted like an idiot because you had nothing better to do. Father would be rolling in his grave in shame of what you have become hanyou." He growled as he slammed him back into his three foot hole. "He ruined the honor of our clan and left the western lands on the brink of war. My mother, his mate, was left an emotional mess and at death's door in an assassination attempt gone wrong. He gave his life for you and your worthless mother while I was left to pick up after the mess he made and all his rash decisions have to show for are his, is you." He slammed his once more to the ground then tossed him across the field and into a tree.

The tachi, who had rushed out of the hut after Sesshomaru, remained silent as they heard what was being said. KIkyo moved forward as she watched Inuyasha sail through the air and straight into a tree. She notched an arrow and pulled the bow string back. "Take another step towards him and I'll kill you." She told him in her cold voice. Sesshomaru glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He watched with interest as Kagome pressed a blue tip to the bowstring and watched it turn to ice and snap to pieces. She pressed the clawed tips of her other hand to the back of Kikyo's neck, chilling her skin but otherwise doing nothing.

"You would do well in watching how you speak to my intended. I know that you know pack laws as nearly as well as I do. Let's let our alphas handle this and not make it worse." She told Kikyo in a calm voice. Kikyo glared at her, but lowered for bow to her side. "Intended?! Since when?" Inuyasha cried out as he struggled to stand from his spot. Sesshomaru smirked at the enraged brother. "As of this morning hanyou. I really must thank you for being an incompetent alpha Inuyasha. You pushed away not only a good and loyal packmate but also an incredible woman. If it weren't for your disloyalty and your crude and insulting mannerisms, I would never have come to know her priceless value. Now, she is mine." He finished with a pleased rumble.

He turned away from him. "I will not end your life Inuyasha, you have received punishment enough. Stay away from my intended and from my pack. Any affairs that you may have with them wil come through me. Disobey and you will forfeit your life. You have been warned." He turned his back to them and headed back to the path that lead to his future mate's home. "Jaken, Rin come." He said over his shoulder, knowing that Kagome would follow on her own. Kagome glanced at Shippo started after them, her son s step behind her. With a wave of their hand to their friends, they disappeared as a whole into the forest and out of sight.

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A/N: Update number two done.


	7. Onwards to the Future

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**Onward to the Future**

That was the last time that Inuyasha ever spoke to Kagome before taking his mate with him and leaving. Weeks after the courting began, Kagome and Shippo moved to the Western castle. Sango and Miroku, who swore allegiance to Sesshomaru and were thus a part of the pack, followed after with Kohaku. They settled in the village just a few miles from the Western palace and, with Sesshomaru's permission, began training a new village of demon slayers. Sango gave birth to three boys and two girls who were all an even combination of their mother and father.

Ryuji, their eldest son, had his father's coloring but was his mother in personality. Seiji and Yukimi, twins, had their father's eyes and their mother's hair. Both were strong and intelligent and, thankfully, lacked their father's perverted nature. Both had also inherited their father's spiritual powers. Hatori, their third son, had his father's hair and eyes, but strangely enough modeled his personality after Sesshomaru. Hana, who was the spitting image of her mother, prided herself in being her "auntie Kagome's" emotional twin.

Kohaku, who suffered with nightmare of the horrors he had committed, eventually healed from his trauma with the help of a pretty little young woman with hair the color of dark chocolate and eyes that matched. They married and had a brood of their own. Each one of them happy children who took to their demon slaying heritage with far more grace than their father and with great pride of who they were.

After a few months of courtship, Sesshomaru and Kagome finally mated, to the obvious displeasure of many a demoness. The ceremony was long and tedious as it was more for the sake of protocol but beautiful nonetheless. Within a month of their mating, Kagome was pregnant with pup and gave birth some time later to a gorgeous inu boy identical to his father in every way but for the smile that was clearly his mother's.

Three years passed and the smitten Shippo asked Sesshomaru for permission to court the lovely Rin. The inu taiyoukai agreed without a second thought, proud of the man the kit had become and knowing that his daughter was in the best hands. Once mated, Rin's life force was extended to match that of her mate's; Kagome's heart just about burst with pride at her two children. The decades passed without a hitch and the small western family grew steadily, Kagome having given birth to three singles, two sets of twins, and one of triplets; Rin not too far behind.

The Western castle, that at one point in time was cold with the silence that the Lord of the West preferred, was alive with the sounds of running feet, screams, and laughs of many children. Kitsune hanyou mingled and mixed with inu pups. The parents loving them but weary of any and all pranks the mischievous children concocted; then came the time of sorrow as Miroku and Sango passed away in their old age. Kagome and Shippo, who had known them for far longer than either Rin and Sesshomaru, were inconsolable as the news of their pack mates passing reached them.

Sesshomaru and Rin found themselves alone for the first few nights as Kagome and Shippo curled around each other in their shared sorrow, all their pups piled on top of them in a united effort to console; later returning to the comfort that only their mates' love could provide. For weeks, the pups kept to their respective parents; doing what they could to bring them out of their depression. After long and unrelenting efforts, the pups succeeded and soon enough the castle was, once again, a happy home, much to Jaken's displeasure.

Years after Miroku and Sango's passing, Kohaku joined them. While sadden by the news, they did not lapse into despair as they had not been very close to the boy to begin with. Another three decades passed by in a blur when Sesshomaru received a surprise visit. He and his mate stood side by side as they watched a matured Inuyasha walk through the gates of the Western castle. He bowed in respect to both, but spoke only to Sesshomaru, requesting to speak with him in private.

Sesshomaru nodded his consent and gesture for him to follow, Kagome walking beside him the entire way. Once within the privacy of his study, he asked of his mate. Inuyasha had sighed and shook his head before muttering, "Let me just start from the beginning, if you don't mind?" Sesshomaru rose a fine brow in question on the man before him. He nodded his head in assent and at that Kagome made to leave. "No. Please allow your mate to stay." He asked. Sesshomaru stared hard at the hanyou before looking at his beloved mate. Kagome said nothing as she took a seat on the pillow beside Sesshomaru's.

"Go on." He said to Inuyasha. He watched as the younger man drew in a breath and released with, his shoulders sagging in weariness. "First things first, may I speak directly to her?" He requested, his eyes not leaving those of her brother. Sesshomaru glanced at his mate and at her nod he accepted the request. Inuyasha looked over at the woman that had been his first friend and the first to truly accept him for who he was. She looked exactly as she had that day all those years ago. Her eyes were, once again, alive with the joy that she had had when she was a girl growing into her womanhood and into her power.

"Kagome, I want to apologize for everything that I did to you back then. It was a long time ago, I know, but the damage had been done by me and me alone. I had no excuse for my attitude towards you back then and, to this day, I have no excuse. I don't deserve your forgiveness and I don't really ask for it, but I wanted to at least man up for all the mean things I said and all the disgraceful things I did. Any punishment you require of me, I'll do gladly in repentance."

Kagome's silver gaze stared at the man before her, so much like the younger version of him only with the appearance of twenty-five year old. The eyes that she remembered as being wild and scorching fire had somehow throughout the decades before soft and tame. They reflected the control that the younger Inuyasha never had, much less wanted. The way his spoke, the way he carried himself, but most importantly, the way he humbled himself before them spoke of his change more than words ever could.

"All is forgiven Inuyasha. Had you come here today as you were back then, I would not have done so, but seeing you know, I know that you have changed. Most importantly, however, you have accepted your actions and learned from them. I'm sure that while our relationship will not be what it once was, it can now be better with effort from both our parts." She said to him, a light smile touching her lips. Inuyasha stared at her in disbelief, not expecting such a response from her after everything that had happened, before grinning like a fool in joy.

"Thank you Kagome. This time I won't let you down." They reached across the polished wood surface and gripped forearms before turning back to Sesshomaru. "Will you begin?" He asked and Inuyasha nodded. He started his story on the day that everything had happened. He explained how Sesshomaru's words had struck the core of his being and in his shame, he had taken his mate and left the country.

He told them of the adventures he and Kikyo had had in the Continent and of the people he had met. He told them of the lesson in humility he had learned at the hands of small panda child, who had so great a power despite his young age. He went on to tell them of how Lee would never brag about how strong he was and how he always said that he couldn't have done it without the help of so and so.

He told the tale of the wisdom he had gained through the teachings of an old owl youkai then going on about the discipline he had gotten beaten into him at the hands of a harsh tiger youkai. He told them of his thoughts throughout the years and how he strived to better himself as a man by doing things differently when a similar situation arose. He told the story of the blind human child who had, without really trying, taught Inuyasha about acceptance of both himself, others, and situations.

Finally, he came to the tale of Kikyo. He spoke of how she had remained bitter despite it all. How, as time passed, she become colder, crueler, and darker. He told them of their arguments when she told him that he was fine the way he had been and that he should be doing what pleased her not everyone else. He told them of how she caught her in the throes of passion with another youkai; how he had let the male's mate, who had also discovered them, rip her to pieces as pack laws in the Continent dictated. He also told them of the decision he had made to spare the other male, feeling that what was done could not be undone and there was no point for someone else to die just to appease his broken heart and damaged pride.

He told them that he had made his way back to the same port he had first arrived in and bought passage on a water and wind elemental cargo ship in order to return home. He mention the trip to the demon village and had found it deserted then to the new location asking for Sango and Miroku only to find out they had long since passed. "With no one from my old pack left, I decided to come here and make amends for the past." He said as he looked at Kagome with a smile. He turned back to Sesshomaru. "I, also, wanted to ask if you have any use for me here under your command. I may not be in good standing, but I would much rather here close to the only kin I have left than all alone out there." He finished.

Sesshomaru gave his brother a look over and felt proud at who he had become. He stood up and walked made a gesture for Kagome and Inuyasha to follow suit. "I will test you Inuyasha. See how far you have come along and then I will see where your talents and skills will be of greater use. Kagome reached over and rubbed her cheek against his. "I must see to the pups mate. I'll see you at the dining hall when you are through." She said as she pulled away and bowed to Inuyasha. "I'll see you then Inuyasha. Welcome home." She walked out of the office and into the corridor before heading off.

Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru. "Thank you." Sesshomaru raised a brow in question. Inuyasha chuckled, "For making her happy and for returning what I so carelessly took away all those years ago." Sesshomaru nodded. "She has given me far more than what I have given her. For that, I am grateful." Stepping forward, he said "Come. Let us get this over with." Inuyasha followed after him in silence, being sure to walk a few paces behind him in show of respect for his position. The gesture was not lost on Sesshomaru and he made no effort to hide the pleased smirk that tugged at his lips. _'Interesting. Very interesting indeed.'_

* * *

A/N: I don't hate Inuyasha enough to kill him off , but I think that him going somewhere else to learn and grow was a good idea. I hope that you guys agree. It should be another one or two chapters before it's done. Ja ne!


	8. Meet the Family

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**Meet the Family**

To say that Sesshomaru went easy on Inuyasha was a complete and total understatement. He pushed him to his limit and even beyond, pairing him up with his chain of command to see how far he could go. He was pleasantly surprised by the control he possessed and was quite happy to take note that he no longer yelled out annoying insults at his opponents. He paid avid attention to everything his brother did, from the slightest shift to the accuracy and strength of his attacks. He felt his chest swell with pride at the changes he saw in the younger half demon male and for the first time in his very long life, he felt no shame in calling him his brother.

As he watched the commander of his armies fly through the air to hit the tree at the far side of the field with a sickening thud, he knew what it was that he was going to do with Inuyasha. "Enough." He called out to the younger man. "Come Inuyasha. I have seen enough. Let's go wash up before going down to the dining hall where you will meet the rest of your family." Turning to his commander, he said, "Gather the chain of command and meet me in my study after you have all finished eating." The man, a dragon demon with onyx hair and steel grey eyes, bowed to Sesshomaru. "As you wish Sesshomaru-sama."

Inuyasha followed after his brother without uttering a single word, knowing well enough that if Sesshomaru wanted to speak to him than he would. Sesshomaru stopped a young rabbit maid and requested a set of clothes for himself and his brother to be brought to the indoor hot spring in the Western wing. The black rabbit youkai nodded in understanding. "Hai Sesshomaru-sama."The inu paid her no mind as he continued on his way.

He lead Inuyasha up a series of stairs and then to the family wing were the scent of his pups and mates was strongest. Inuyasha stopped and sniffed the air, the scent tickling his sensitive nose. "How many pups do you have Sesshomaru?" He asked as he followed after his brother once again. Sesshomaru glanced back at his brother, a single canine tip peaking through the smirk on his lips. "You will see." Inuyasha gulped, suddenly nervous. "Is that supposed to be a good thing?" He asked, the question directed more to himself than to his brother.

Sesshomaru paid him no mind as he turn to a door on the left and pushed it open. He stepped in, Inu only a few seconds after. The room by itself was not intricately decorated. It was beautiful in simplicity from misty heat to surrounding rock structures and plant life. The water was hot, what could one expect of a indoor hot spring?, and nearby bathing area to clean off all the dirt and sweat.

Disrobing, both males washed off all the grime they had accumulated throughout the day then made their way over to the spring, stepping in and relaxing against the heated rocks. Neither spoke, both far too comfortable for words. Minutes passed and a knock echoed through the silence. The door opened and in came the small rabbit youkai. "I have brought you your clothes like you requested. Kagome-sama also sent some drying cloth." She placed the clothes on a shelf in two separate piles and quickly walked out, quietly shutting the door behind her.

They got out of the spring and walked over to the shelf that contained their respective clothing. After thoroughly drying, they dressed. Sesshomaru in a black silk hakama and haori set with his customary honeycomb pattern in red stitching, a gold obi completed the look. Inuyasha was given a set of black hakama and red haori, both made from the finest silk. Around his waist an obi of silver with threads of gleaming gold held his clothes into place. The half demon male looked at his clothes in wonder and caught the distinct smell of Kagome. He smiled wistfully. "She really is something, isn't she?" He said out loud as he followed his older brother out.

Sesshomaru looked back at his brother. He glanced at his outfit and after catching the scent of his mate on it, he nodded. "She is. She has changed much throughout the years Inuyasha and she knows that you have as well. To her, that's all that matters." he led the way to the dining hall. Sounds of laughter could be distinctly heard and increased in volume as they approached. Inuyasha gulped nervously. Sesshomaru held back a chuckle at his brother's nervous disposition. Without a word of warning to the hanyou, he pushed open the doors. The occupants inside instantly fell silent as a multitude of eyes turned to stare at the both of them.

Inuyasha swallowed as he noticed the many pairs of brown, green, blue, and golden eyes staring at him. Not to mention, the many scents of kitsune hanyou that assaulted his nose. He was startled at the sound of Kagome's laugh as she made her way over to him. "Don't be so afraid. They don't bite, much." She added as an afterthought. Inuyasha shifted wide amber eyes from the crowd of children to his brother's mate. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" He asked.

The rough bark of Shippo's full blown laughter drew their attention. "NO, I think mama was just giving you a bit of a warning. She told me you were back. I almost didn't believe her. It's good to see you again Inuyasha." He stated as he walked in through the open doors, his mate's arm loosely wrapped around his and safely tucked between his nine tails. He came to a stop beside him. A single puppy ear twitched as the two looked each other over. "Inuyasha clasped his clawed hand around Shippo's unoccupied forearm as Shippo returned the gesture. He gave the younger male a gentle smile that caught him off guard. "It's good to see you again as well Shippo. You've changed quite a bit since I last saw you."

Shippo said nothing for a moment before squeezing his hand around his first pack leader's forearm. "So have you Inuyasha and I must say for the better." Inu smirked at the compliment. "Thanks." He looked down at the woman who stood silently on the kitsune's arm. "If I'm not mistaken, you must be the little girl that followed Sesshomaru around all those years ago." Rin gave him a beaming smile. "You are correct Inuyasha-sama." Inuyasha shook his head. "Inuyasha is fine. There has never been a "sama" attached to my name and I highly doubt there ever will be."

Sesshomaru covered a secret smile behind a clawed hand. Kagome, seeing the gesture, raised a fine dark brow at her mate. He returned her gesture with one of his own, his face giving nothing away like always. Kagome sighed and turned back to the conversing trio. "Come before the pups start to riot." Rin and Shippo laughed in agreement before sitting in their proper seats. Kagome led Inuyasha to the seat to the left of Sesshomaru. Inuyasha stared at the placing before looking at his brother. With a slight bow of his head, Sesshomaru gave Inuyasha the encouragement he needed to sit. Without a hitch, the feast began. One by one, Inuyasha was introduced to his rather large family.

Their first born son, Daichi, had the appearance of a fifteen year old. He was the spitting image of Sesshomaru, from crown to toe, but Inuyasha could clearly see that the easy smile he gave was Kagome's. He was quiet and reserved much like his father. Never lifting his voice and always speaking softly and calmly, but with respect to those he loved. Inuyasha instantly grew to respect the boy who knew when to keep his father's famous emotionless mask and when to let it go. He was proud of his first nephew who was, quite literally, the best of both his mother and father.

Eiji and Aimi were, by all appearances, at least thirteen. They were also Sesshomaru and Kagome's first set of twins and were a gorgeous blend of their parents. Eiji had his mother's dark hair and tail. His brow, eyes, and cheeks were adorned with his father's markings in the same magenta and royal blue outlined in his mother's silver blue. His eyes were a lovely blend of brilliant gold around the catlike iris that bled into silver blue. He too was soft spoken and very easy to get along with. He offered an easy smile to everyone he spoke to and treated Inuyasha with great respect.

Aimi was the light to her brother's dark coloring. She had her father's silver hair and tail, but her mother's silver blue rampant inu on her brow and two similarly colored stripes on her cheeks. Her markings, however, were outlined in royal blue and magenta in respective order. Her eyes were a beautiful molten gold that faded to shining silver blue as they got closer to her iris. Aimi was a little more outspoken then her twin and far livelier, but their hearts were pretty much the same. Both, like their brother before him, and inherited their mother's beautiful smile.

Michiko was a beautiful little girl of twelve. She had her mother's dark black hair that faded to her father's moon spun color towards the middle; her tail curiously the same. She had her mother's markings with her father's coloring as well as his golden eyes. She was more her father in silence, but when she spoke, she did so with careful wording and vast knowledge that showed great intelligence for her young age. She offered sweet shy smiles and her laughter was quiet and gentle.

Mamoru was a ten year old boy with the top half of his hair the color of platinum silver and the bottom half black. His tail was silver with black strips running through it. He had silver blue eyes and his father's markings in his mother's coloring. He was a lively young fellow who laughed loudly in joy and could instantly brighten anyone's mood. However, like his name described, he was very protective of her siblings especially his sisters and the younger pups of the family.

Mizuki and Tsukiko were eight year olds and the last of the twin set. Both were the spitting image of their mother but with their father's colored markings. They modeled their behaviors and personalities to their favorite brother, Daichi, to almost exact likeness but for the mask that he would wear at times. The rest of their siblings had dubbed them the "moon twins" as Inuyasha later came to find. Last, but most certainly not least, were his three bold nephews.

Inuyasha could only stare in wonder of the six year old triplets. The coloring they were born with making them look far more exotic than the rest of his brother's brood. Masaru, Kenshin, Yoshinori were the youngest of all of Kagome and Sesshomaru's pack. They had their father's silver hair and tail along with their mother's silver blue eyes. Interestingly enough, they had a combination of their parent's brow markings, a crescent moon with the top paws of their mother's rampant inu resting on the upper section of the moon's curve. Their cheeks, however, were adorned like the rest; two smooth stripes and all had their father's eye markings as well.

It was the color of those markings that made the light pigment of their skin, eyes, and hair to really stick out. The color of the crescent moon was the royal blue of Sesshomaru's crest at the middle then faded out to silver blue. Kagome's inu marking was silver blue that darkened into royal blue. Their stripes and eye markings were no exception to the odd coloring either. The first stripe started off as silver blue from the top and darkened to their father's dark magenta at the bottom. The second stripe began as a dark magenta that faded to their mother's silver blue. The eye lid markings were silver blue from the innermost corner of the eye that darkened to magenta towards the outer corner. As if that wasn't bad enough, there was absolutely nothing that set each individual triplet apart. They all looked exactly the same. However, nothing prepared Inuyasha for the mischievous nature of the three who spent too much time around the half kitsune kits.

Once Inuyasha was done with Sesshomaru's pups, he was introduced to Shippo's hanyou bunch. Natsumi and Natsuko were twin 13 year old girls with Shippo's red hair and Rin's brown eyes. They each had a set of reddish brown fox ears atop their mass of red hair and a tail to match. They had their mother's sweetness and flower loving tendencies with their father's love for sweets and drawing. They had a sunny disposition that rival the summer sun of the season they were born in.

Takumi was Shippo's eleven year old first born son. He lived up to his name of having a wide range of skills from something as simple and drawing and instruments to as complex as weaponry and magic. He had Rin's black hair and his father's green eyes. Unlike his sister's, he didn't have a set of ears, but he did have a tail the color of obsidian and he was every bit a troublemaker as his father, which the older male took great pride in, much to Inuyasha's displeasure.

Finally, it was their last set of twins the age of seven. Yoshihiro and Yoshio were a blend of mischievous sweetness that made no sense what so ever. Yoshihiro was the mini version of his father in looks as Yoshio was the mini male version of his mother. Each had a set of ears on their heads that matched their hair color as well as a set of fluffy fox tails that danced in their joy of having a new "favorite uncle" to introduce to their prank wars. Rin, seeing the calculating looks on her two sons' faces, gave them a look that promised trouble.

Shippo laughed as his pups released a yip and ducked under the table to hide of their mother's view. She had just given them what they had all dubbed _**the look**_ and knew that they had to keep a low profile for the time being. Inuyasha gave Rin a grateful smile which she returned with her own, but he was no fool. He knew that he'd have to keep an eye out for those two more than all the others. As the time passed, the children asked their uncle questions of where he had been and what it was like. He told his stories of his adventures and off all the silly moments he had had throughout the years.

By the time dinner was over, the children had been charmed to bits by their uncle who they had heard many stories about but never knew. As they all got out of their seats, they made a bee line to Inuyasha, giving him an affectionate hug and a quiet good night before one by one they left. Rin bowed to him and happy said good night as well before following after her kits. Inuyasha remained quiet for a moment, his throat tights and eyes swimming. He laughed as he blinked and allowed a few tears to escape as he brought a hand to quickly brush them away. "Those kids really are something." He said to the quiet adults behind him.

Kagome smiled as she looked at him and gave him a quick hug. "They love you Inuyasha." She told him as she moved away and wiped the last of his tears. His heart, heavy with sorrow after the betrayal and death of his beloved mate, swelled to life with happiness, peace, and love. He swore to himself that whether Sesshomaru gave him a place within his castle walls or not, he would die to protect those children who with a few hugs and gentle farewells had done more for him in a matter of minutes than anything else had in long lonely months.

Kagome gave his hand a squeeze. She made her way over to her mate and kissed him lightly. "I'm going to make sure that the pups are put to bed." Sesshomaru nodded as he leaned into caress her cheek with his. "Hn. When they are settled meet me at the study room. We will be discussing his placement within the castle shortly." She bowed her head in understanding. She walked out gracefully, leaving the three males to watch her departure. Shippo turned to Inuyasha with a smirk. "You better watch yourself from now on Inuyasha. My pups and the rest of my brother's and sister's like to play pranks on those that they love more than those that they don't. You won't have another peaceful day in your life."

Inuyasha gave him a fanged smile. "To be honest, I am looking forward to it." Shippo chuckled. "Come back to me in two days' time and let me know if you still feel the same. Sesshomaru ignored his brother and his adopted kit. "Come. We will discuss what your place will be within my home Inuyasha. Kagome will be with us shortly." Without the word, they followed after. Inuyasha looking forward to whatever fate his brother decided for him.

* * *

A/N: There you have it folks. I'm sorry if it's long and boring. I wanted to introduce the rest of the family to Inuyasha. It would be weird if I didn't. Talk about a big family and yet none of them are around. I hope you enjoyed it at the very least. Good night!


	9. His Place

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**His Place**

He couldn't believe it. He really couldn't. Despite the fact that he had asked his older demon brother to decide his fate within his home, he never said anything whatsoever about any placement in his pack. He stared around at all the sets of eyes that looked at his with different emotions, but none of them in hatred or disdain. In fact, they seemed quite, dare he say it? Content? Proud?

The meeting had gone off without a problem. He was confused at first as to why so many demons were in attendance, mostly the higher ups of Sesshomaru's chain of command but he had thought nothing of it and allowed his brother to do his job. He listened vaguely as Sesshomaru discussed something or other with each individual before catching his attention with "It is settled than, Inuyasha will be in command of my armies and will be second to only me. Ryuji, I want to you teach Inuyasha everything that he has to know for his position as you will be his second in command."

He looked around at those around him. "Should it come to the point that I cannot take my position as general of my armies for any reason whatsoever, Inuyasha is to do so in my stead. You are to follow his every command without fail, is that understood?" The other demons nodded in acceptance of their new orders. "Wait a minute Sesshomaru." Inuyasha started. All pairs of eyes turned to look at him. "I'm honored that you would entrust me with such a position but I can't take someone else's job right out from under them."

Sesshomaru raised a brow in question. "Why is that Inuyasha?" The younger man frowned as if it was obvious to him. "These demons have obviously worked hard to earn and keep the positions that they have under you. What right do I have to suddenly come out of nowhere and take something I don't deserve?" The men around him cracked a fanged smile. "Inuyasha, you do realize that everybody in this room has spared against you and lost, correct?" Inuyasha nodded. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Ryuji laughed. "You didn't know it at the time, but Sesshomaru-sama was testing you against the strength of his best warriors. We know what he was doing because each and every single one of us has gone through it. An individual will spar against each one of the chain of command and continue to do on until they are defeated or they have defeated them all. The rank of the last demon you defeat becomes your rank and it's their responsibility to show you have everything is done. Once you know everything they've taught you, they either become your second or drop down to the next rank, whichever my lord decides." He finished with a shrug.

Inuyasha sighed and shook his head. "All right, if that's how it's done. I accept." He met his brother's eyes. "I won't fail you." Sesshomaru smirked. "I know." He stood up from his seat. Paying no mind to his brother's mystified expression, he said. "Ryuji, you start tomorrow. Dismissed." He gestured for Inuyasha to follow and he did so, too stunned by his brother's confidence in his to do much of anything else. He followed as Kagome and Sesshomaru walked quietly in front of his before they left him at his room's door with a good night and welcome home.

They had just entered their room down the hall by the time he snapped out of it. Opening his door, he entered. He walked over to his bed and laid on it, suddenly a wide grin spread across his handsome face; the joy and good fortune of the day finally crashing in on him. He felt elated and with the closing of his eyes and the evening of his breath, he muttered out, "It's good to be home." Then with the sounds of his family's peaceful breathing around him, he succumbed to his dreams of the future to come.

SKSKSKSK

The months that followed proved to be the longest and most challenging months Inuyasha ever had the misfortune to endure. During his days, Ryuji was like his shadow, always teaching him what he had to do for his new position and throwing him out to the wolves to test him in that day's lesson. He stumbled about at first, not quite sure if what he was doing was correct, but seeing as how Ryuji didn't utter a word of disapproval, he came to the conclusion that he was doing it right and grew confident.

Once Ryuji had taught him everything he had to teach him, he left him to do his work as the commander of his brother's armies. He spent the days overseeing the soldiers training, correcting what needed to be corrected, issuing punishment work to those that would disobey an order, and giving an encouraging word when he felt it appropriate. He took the time to get to know his soldiers and made it a point to introduce himself to each and every single one of them.

Many were confused at how he did things, their previous commanders not having done so, but warmed up to him after a while. Seemingly a few scant months of vigorous effort on Inuyasha's behalf, he had each and every soldier listening to his orders with question or complaint. To say that Sesshomaru was rather pleased would have been an understatement.

Inuyasha also found that he really had to keep an eye out for his many nieces and nephews who pranked the uncle they had come love unconditionally. He learned the hard way for the first two weeks to never let his guard down during waking hours. The most embarrassing of the pranks being where they had switched his bottle of shampoo with another filled to the brim with a multicolored solution.

He had been horrified to find that his normal white hair had been turned to a mess of neon green, hot pink, and electric blue. To the day, his soldiers still made teasing comments about the incident. Never the less, the lesson had served its purpose and made Inuyasha keep constant vigil of his surroundings at all times. Thankfully, it turned out to be a great asset as many of the things others did to get away with things never worked when he was around to see it all.

Before he knew it, a year had passed since his arrival to the Western castle and he couldn't have been happier. He came to realize that the pain that Kikyo had left behind in his heart had been filled by the love of the numerous pups in his pack and by the acceptance and peace of his pack mates. His relationship with Kagome had improved to something far greater than the one they had previously had and he had grown very close to his older brother. Shippo was a pleasant companion for harmless rivalry and his mate a breath of fresh air with her calming aura.

His job and responsibilities kept him busy but never to the point that he wouldn't make time to see the pups grow and flourish in any and all endeavors they pursued. He felt very much like a proud father and could only imagine how Shippo and Sesshomaru felt if his emotions were so intense. However, if there was one thing that he knew, it was that all good things eventually came to an end.

As the years progressed, the dragons of the north became greedy for land and treasure. They craved power and the devastation that only a long and bloody war could cause. As the peace treaty between the North and the West began to fray at an alarming rate, Inuyasha knew just by looking at the stony and unreadable expression on his brother's face that war was upon the horizon.

With a mighty roar, he commanding his troops to prepare for battle and to wrap up any loose ends they may have before they moved out in two weeks' time. That night's dinner tasted like nothing, for he couldn't process its exquisite flavors, and settled in his stomach like a ton of bricks. Shippo's children opened cried at the news of their father going to battle for an undetermined amount of time. Rin's eyes had flooded over with tears that she refused to spill. She audibly swallowed her panic and worries away and forced herself to remain strong for her children.

Sesshomaru's pups, however, were a different story all together. Each and every single one of them from the, now, eight year old triplets to the seventeen year old Daichi had adopted their father's blank mask. Gone were their smiles and happy laughter. In their eyes was the look of acceptance for what was to come. He knew that Sesshomaru and Shippo could as easily as he see the hardening of their eyes at the possibility of one or all of them never returning and the steady breath they took to settle themselves to steel their hearts.

He could see Daichi sit straighter in his seat, readying himself to take over whatever duties his father required of him after his departure. He watched as they all glanced briefly at one another then flicked their gaze over to their mother before one more glancing at each other and settling their gaze of the eldest sibling. He gave them a barely noticeable incline of his regal head and, just like that, whatever it was that they were silently communicating to one another was decided. They bowed their head to their father as an indication that they had heard their father's announcement.

From the corner of his eye, he could see the pride that shined through his brother's eyes at how his pups had accepted the news without much of a scene and how they had settled amongst themselves that they would watch over their mother. It wouldn't surprise Inuyasha if they later met up to discuss who was in charge of what. He looked over at Kagome, who sat calmly in her seat beside her mate. She tended to Sesshomaru in her usual manner, treating the news as if it was an everyday conversation. The only indications that she knew otherwise was in the deep coldness of her eyes, the mask she had mastered so long ago, and the way her tail had wrapped itself around her mate's waist.

Rin dismissed herself and her kits from the table when they showed no signs of calming down. Shippo promised to meet her after their children had been laid to rest. Sesshomaru's pups quietly asked to be excused and with a nod from their father in acceptance, they got up as one and walked to the Western wing. Kagome looked after her children but said and gave nothing away. Inuyasha watched as she squeezed Sesshomaru's clawed hand before she got up and squeezed his shoulder. One her way out, she curled her tail around her son's nine and continued on until her tail could no longer touch his. Without a word, they got up from their seats and followed after Sesshomaru.

SKSKSKSK

The weeks had passed in a blur of preparation for the war and of quiet evenings with the pack. The children were subdued in their moods. They wouldn't laugh or play but would give a quiet giggle and shy smile on occasion. The nights, Inuyasha knew, were spent in the frenzied passion that their mates to desperately sought to give them and they receive. The last day was spent in tense anticipation and their final night was filled with caresses of everlasting love.

By the time the first rays of dawn light crept over the horizon, they had already set out and were well on their way to their camp site. The war was long and indeed very bloody. Inuyasha stood by his brother's side for the next five years; carrying out his order to his soldiers and those of the chain of command. He watched as his brother lead his faithful followers to countless of encounters and watched as he fought alongside his brothers-in-arms and how he gave them all the strength and encouragement they needed to keep going

At night, long after the other's had been dismissed from their nightly meetings; he spoke with his alpha and his fox pack mate of their family back home. At last, just when he thought that he would never see his home again, the final battle of the war was fought. He saw how many of his brothers fought and died with pride on the battlefield. He felt the hot, sticky red liquid on his hands as he hacked and sliced at his enemies all the way close to his brother. He saw the flash of silver that was to close to dodge, the rustle of red and white silk, and the spray of blood.

Inuyasha's eyed widened in surprise that his brother saved his life. Sesshomaru, without missing a beat, severed the arm of the demon that injured him and continued on his way. He paid no mind to the wound and Inuyasha kept close and cut any and all that came too close to him. The climax of the battle came down to the enormous beast forms of his brother and the dragon lord of the north. In a massive rain of blood, acid, scale, fur, flesh and bone, the victor was none other than his brother; whose howl of victory echoed through the silence, reenergized his troops, and sent shivers down the backs of the surviving enemy. Finally, the war with the north was over and the west was once again victorious!

SKSKSKSK

It had taken many of the demons of their camp several days to heal, youkai healers only able to do so much with the number of injured they had to attend to. Sesshomaru, who had used a very large amount of his strength and had lost quite of bit of blood, took two full days and three bloody deer carcasses to heal. Shippo had received a belly wound that thankfully hadn't been too bad and a few sword wounds to his legs and arms. He was fully healed a day later and more than eager to return home to his mate and pups.

With spirits high and bodies sore, the warriors of the west rushed home. Happy to finally see mates, children, mothers and fathers left behind. Inuyasha, howver, was not prepared for the assault that they received as soon as they came within sight of Shippo's pups. They crowded around them and smothered them in their hugs. Shippo was immediately pulled aside by an ecstatic Rin, who proceeded to happily kiss him to death. Once she was done, she and her children moved aside for the stunning sight of Sesshomaru's sons and daughters.

Daichi, now with the appearance of a nineteen year old male, gracefully walked over to his father. He bowed to his in respect and then stepped forward to give his father a tight hug, taking in his scent as Sesshomaru did the same. He backed away from his father and moved over to him. Inuyasha was stunned when he bowed to him as he had his father before him and then gathered him into a hug. Inuyasha wrapped and arm around the boy's shoulder and took in his scent as Daichi did him. Once again, he stepped away and moved over to Shippo, repeating the process once more.

When he returned to his brother and sister's sides, seventeen year old Eiji and Aimi stepped forward and followed their bother's example the only exception being that they wrapped their tails around their father, a gesture he gladly returned. As soon as they joined Daichi's side, sixteen year old Michiko and fourteen year old Mamoru stepped forward and did as the three before them had. Twelve year old Mizuki and Tsukiko went next and bringing up the rear were ten year old Masaru, Kenshin, and Yoshinori. All three of the triplets wrapped themselves around their legs and waists before slowly joining the rest of their family.

They then stepped aside for Kagome, glorious in a metallic amethyst and black kimono. She stopped at the bottom them the stone steps to briefly drink Sesshomaru in. Inuyasha couldn't help the smile on his lips or the longing to have someone look at him in such a manner. He wasn't able to ponder the sudden thought as she turned to him and walked over. She bowed slightly and then wrapped her arms around his torso. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be back." He responded after he released her. She made her way to Shippo. She bowed and hugged him and gave him the same greeting only with "my son" at the end. Finally, she calmly made her way to her mate. She stopped before his and bowed deeply. She straightened and quickly closed the distance. Clawed hands were wrapped around his neck and his around her waist. The kiss they shared was that of lover's long separated but finally reunited, intense with the fiery passion that scorched

Their tails cocooned them and the dancing length of hair on the wind obscured them from their view. They separated after a moment and Kagome pulled him away from them and into the castle. "Daichi make sure the pups are cared for." Daichi gave his mother a happy grin. "Yes mother." He turned to Rin and Shippo. "We'll watch over yours too aunt Rin. Go on." Rin smiled. "Thanks." Shippo gave his mate a loving grin as he picked her bridal style and made off to their chambers.

Inuyasha laughed at the scene the love birds made. The rest of them smiled. "You have a visitor uncle Inuyasha; an inu demoness from the Continent. She came looking for you a year ago and has been here since." Inuyasha's ears perked up at this and a happy gleam entered his amber eyes.** "Could it be?"** he thought to himself as he went in search of the very first friend he had made in the Continent. He wisely ignored the sound of their laughing, his chest filling with happiness at hearing those sounds again.

SKSKSKSK

It turned out that his guest was indeed his friend Meihui, a raven haired and jade eyed beauty with a seemingly bottomless wisdom. He spent hours catching up with the young woman that he surprisingly missed. An hour before dinner was to start, they went their different waits to wash and dress and then met up again before heading to the dining hall together. Dinner was a welcome experience as his nieces and nephews smiled and asked them about this and that.

Meihui told them of how the two had met and what had caused her to come to Japan in search of her dear half breed friend. She was pleasantly surprised at how intelligent they all seemed to be and in awe of the knowledge that Sesshomaru's pups demonstrated. They spoke for a while of various things subjects until he saw Kagome and Rin simultaneously rise. They patiently waited for the others to finish talking, Sesshomaru's pups having done so the minute that they saw their mother stand. Shippo's kits took a second longer and the three males that had just arrived home looked expectantly for an explanation.

"Mate," Kagome began. "There is something that you must know." Sesshomaru raised a single brow in question. Inuyasha could see from the corner of his eye, that all the pups present had a secret smile on their faces, the pure breeds a little less wide than those of their half breed cousins. He glanced at the woman sitting next to him and noticed her small happy smile. The question he was about to ask died on his lips as two of the youkai maids came in, their arms occupied by a child each.

One of the pups was a hanyou with black hair streaked with red. Red and black kit ears proudly perched atop her waving mass of hair and a tail thumped happily at when the small boy saw Rin. Rin walked over and gently retrieved her son from the arms of one maid then made her way over to a stunned Shippo. "This is Kohaku." She told him. "He'll be turning four in the next two weeks." Shippo stared into the emerald eyes of his offspring and couldn't help but bring his pup close to his chest and growl happily.

He looked up at his mate with suspiciously wet eyes. "I love you mate." He said to her as he pulled her into his lap being mindful of the babe pulling on his long red locks. Inuyasha stared in amazement and looked to his brother to see his reaction when he noticed that Sesshomaru was paying little to no mind to the couple not far from him.

He followed his gaze to see that he was staring at the three pups remaining. Kagome gave her mate a smile and motioned for the women to walk forward. She plucked each child out of one arm and placed them in their father's laps. The seemingly three year old girls stared up at him with eyes as golden as those of their father. This set of triplets were the exact opposite of their triplet brother's in coloring. Their mother's dark hair and their father's eyes. The same markings on their tiny faces but the colors reversed, dark where theirs was light and light when theirs was dark.

They opened their tiny mouths in gummy smiles. He watched as Sesshomaru's lips twitched in an answering smile. "She is Akari." Kagome said as she indicated to the little girl currently stuffing her father's tail fur into her toothless mouth. "This one is Kazumi." She said as she pulled Sesshomaru's hair out of the mouth of a second youngling. "That one is Rumi." She said at last, indicating to the child currently drooling on her father's exposed hand.

Inuyasha chuckled softly at the sight and nearly gasped when his brother's tail deposited to the fur munching Akari into his lap where she proceeded to stuff his finger into her mouth. He grimaced at the sliminess of her drool as it slowly made its way down his finger and hand. His ear twitched at Meihui's light laughter and scowled at her for laughing at his expense. She gave him a look and shrugged. After that, dinner continued on as if nothing had changed. They ate and laughed and caught up with one another before separating and going to their rooms for the night.

SKSKSKSK

After that night, time passed like a whirlwind. A few months after the war had ended, he found himself being the center of attention as Sesshomaru acknowledged him as his father's second son and as prince of the West before the attending courts of the four lords. He realized then that his brother had set him up. **'That sneaky...**' he thought to himself before Meihui captured his attention.

From then on the years passed as they should. Kagome keeping demon kind from extinction as safe and happy as possible while history played itself out. During those years, he had listened with amusement as Rin and Kagome made the decision to stay with the pups they had and have no more for the time being. He watched as the pups grew and developed themselves into formidable warriors that made their mother and father proud. He watched over them as they fell in love with young males and females that were worthy of them and of being a part of his brother's pack. As the older pups mated and had pups of their own, Kagome and Rin soon found themselves surrounded with plenty of grandchildren to spend the time with.

Sometime within those centuries he found himself falling for the beautiful inu Meihui and, after getting his brother's permission to court, had asked Meihui who had responded with a gleeful yell before knocking him down to the ground, kissing him senseless. Kagome and Sesshomaru, who had gone to witness his proposal to her, had brother smothered their smiles and silent chuckles behind the sleeves of their haori before walking away to give them their privacy.

A year after they began courting, they were mated and well on their way to adding their own pups to the increasing large clan of the West. Now as golden eyes once so wild and broken stared out of the window of Taisho Corp's CEO's office, he couldn't help but smile at all the things that he had achieved in his long life. He turned back around to see his brother typing away at the computer, his demonic features hiding under his human disguise.

"Are you almost done yet?" He asked. Sesshomaru looked up at him with a raised brow. Inuyasha simply sighed at his brother's nonverbal reply. He was going back to stare at all the shining lights of the city below when they sudden sound of Sesshomaru's phone beeping went off. He watched as his brother took out his phone and tapped on the screen. He tensed when he saw the edge of his eyes tint red before he closed them and calmed for a moment. Sesshomaru saved his work, turned off the computer, stood up and made a beeline for the elevators, his coat trailing behind him in one arm.

"What's going on?" Inuyasha asked as he got up from his seat and hurried after his brother. "What is today's date?" Sesshomaru asked Inuyasha, ignoring his previous question. "It's September 2nd. Why?" Sesshomaru ran a hand through his short dark hair. "Kagome told me that her family died in a fire. Apparently today was that day and she went in to save them all. They are at home with the others. Forget the vehicles, we are running home." Inuyasha nodded silent response. As soon as they made it to ground level, the headed towards the back of the company and in a flourish of youkai, they were gone.

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A/N: Very long chapter. Yes I know. I was too lazy to separate it not to mention that I didn't want to. I hope that you enjoyed it and thank you to all of my remarkable reader's. Next chapter will be the last.


	10. Together At Last

**A/N:** This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine. Also, I don't own any of the names of paintings and whatnot that I put on here.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

* * *

**Together At Last**

She knew, she would be stupid not to, that her mate would hang her for putting herself in such danger especially without him knowing. She knew that once she accomplished what she was here to do, she was going to really have to kiss up to him to make up for all the distress and worry he had gone through. She also knew that she was going to get one heck of a scolding from her children about how recklessly she had behaved and remind her of the many times she had scolded them for the same thing.

However, she knew that she had to do something. She couldn't let it happen the way it did and she had come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, she was supposed to do this. As she pondered these things, she found herself hiding in the leafy branches of the Goshinboku on the ground of the shrine she had grown up in. She had cried tears of joy and pain when she had first laid eyes on it again after so many centuries.

So, from her hiding spot, she watched with those predatory eyes she had gotten accustomed to hiding since the time she and her mate had left the great domes of demonic and purity fed shields that hid the youkai race from humanity. Black hair was bound in a loose braid behind her to keep it from fluttering in the wind and giving away her location to unwanted individuals.

She was waiting, waiting for the signs of the fire that had taken her family and her life in the future from her, not that she was actually complaining considering all that she had now. Silver blue eyes looked up at the fading light of the sun as it descended beyond the horizon. She was admiring the sight of the sunset before her when she caught the sound of four voices she would never in her life forget.

She turned her eyes and nearly sighed at the sight of her high school friends as they made their way up the seemingly unending stairs that lead to the shrine and the Higurashi residence. "Are you sure about this Yuka? She may be too tired to speak with us." Eri asked from her place beside Hojo. Yuka shrugged her shoulders. "We just want to check on her and see if she's alright Eri. There can't possibly be anything wrong with that."

"If she is tired Mrs. Higurashi will let us know if she's not feeling well or not.." Eri nodded her head in agreement of Ayumi's statement. Kagome smiled as she watched them with sad eyes even the sight of Hojo couldn't dampen her melancholy of seeing them again after such a long time.

She watched them as they knocked on her mother's door paid no mind to their conversation. She smiled as her mother's calming voice floated on the wind to her ears. "I'm sorry; she's not feeling well enough to see any one." She told her friends whose shoulder slumped in defeat.

Hojo stepped forward to give her the basket of health care stuff that he always carried around when he came to visit Kagome. The inu woman in the tree could help the scowl of distaste at the care package he presented to her mother. She watched as her mother's aged hands took the package and as they teen were about to turn to leave, a loud explosion could be heard from inside the house.

They turned to watch as the kitchen area was engulfed in flames and Mrs. Higurashi desperately ran back into the house to get Souta and her father-in-law. Hojo and the girls ran in after her wanting to help her get the rest of the family out. Kagome watched in horror as the wind picked up speed and with it, quickly spread the hungry flames of the fire that burned everything within its reach.

She waited for a few moments and when no one came out she rushed into the house. Many of them were around Hojo, who was pinned under a fallen beam. "Move!" She growled. Souta and Mrs. Higurashi stared for a moment before quickly moving, pushing the stunned Ayumi and Yuka out of the way. Kagome stepped forward and with a quick lift and a fast toss she had liberated the young male. She reached a hand down to him, which he hesitantly took.

Silver blue eyes looked around her. She spotted her jii-chan and Eri just a few steps behind Souta and her mother. Thinking quickly, she gathered them all together and formed her orb around them. With a push of her youkai, she levitated them from the ground a few inches. "Hold on." She said to them in quick warning before she punched through the flaming roof and flying across the sky towards her home.

SKSKSKSKSK

It seemed like mere minutes had passed before she landed down in the courtyard of her home. She flared her aura once seconds before setting down. Once they were all touching the lush grass, she pulled her youkai back into her body. Within seconds her sons Daichi, Mamoru, and Yoshinori stepped out. "Mother? What's going on?" Called Mamoru. "Mamoru, Daichi, help me get them all inside. Yoshi, I need you to get Michiko and Akari. Meet me in the living room and hurry."

The younger man nodded before running off into the house. "Who are you?" Asked Hana, Kagome's mother. Kagome smiled down at her. "I'll explain everything in a few minutes. Let me care for all of you first okay?" Hana nodded as she allowed her to pull her up. Daichi had gone over to help her grandfather and Mamoru had Hojo. Eiji had arrived some time earlier and was helping Souta into the house.

Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka followed in a slower pace, coughing. Kagome's eyes narrowed slightly.** 'I have to look into that.' **Once they were all inside, she could see her daughters looking over injuries and healing what needed to be healed with their reiki. Her sons and some of their children stood at the door, all of them in their demonic forms since they were at home. She looked over at a pair of emerald green eyes that looked at her expectantly. "Please text your father and tell him to come home. Explain what's going on."

Shippo nodded and walked away, his nine tails uncurling from his mate. As he walked away, she could smell the confusion and fear that course through the bodies of her friends. Rin walked over to her. "Mama Kagome, who are they?" Kagome sighed as she heard the gasps behind her. "Kagome?" Each one said in a different volume of noise as they looked her over.

Kagome nodded, her waterfall of hair shifting behind her as she knelt on the floor before her mother. "Yes mama. It's me. It's been so long since I last saw you. I'm so happy that you are safe." She told her mother, tears running down her beautiful eyes as she gathered her mother close. Kagome's mother wrapped her arms around her. "Kagome dear, you just saw us last month." Hana expressed with a confused tone. Her worry growing when her daughter began to sob earnestly into her shirt.

Kagome shook her head. She pulled away slightly as she felt the hands of many of her children on her. She looked into their eyes, each one expressing great concern as they had never seen their mother cry before. She allowed them to pull her into them and wrap their tails around them; her hand, however, remained tightly wrapped around her mother. "Mother," Shippo said as he walked back into the room. "He should be here soon." She nodded in understanding. "Thank you Shippo."

He stepped forward and the others moved away but for Daichi who held her to him. "Why didn't you tell us mother? You know that we would have helped you if you had just asked." Kagome nodded. "I know Shippo. This was just something that I had to do. I never knew if they did. The house was burned to the ground when I came back. They were gone. All of them gone. Souta, mama, jii-chan, everything that kept me here was suddenly extinguished."

He knelt as Daichi moved away to give him room. "I understand. You do know that he won't be pleased?" Kagome nodded. "Yes I know." She said but she looked at the confused eyes of her family and friends and smiled. "But it was worth it." Souta looked at her and then Shippo. "Who's going to be upset Kagome?" Then, just as she was about to respond, a whirlwind of youkai shoved the doors open and standing in the doorway were Sesshomaru and Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru paid no mind to the outsiders in his home, pink rimmed the whites of his eyes and he zeroed in on his mate. Without hesitation, he walked over to her, his long silver mane swaying behind him. Shippo quickly backed away and the others knelt in were they stood. "Mate," Sesshomaru growled. "What possessed you?" He said as he grabbed a hold of her and pulled her to him. Hard, golden eyes passed over her form to look at any injuries that she may have received.

His inspection stopped at her hands, burned slightly from lifting the beam from Hojo. He growled and grabbed her hand. "You were careless." He hissed as he licked the angry red flesh. Kagome hissed as the small amount of poison ate away at the ruined skin and the healing abilities of his saliva closed the wound.

"Forgive me mate. I had too. They are my family." She whimpered to him, her neck exposed to him in submission. Sesshomaru pressed his nose to the skin of her throat, taking in her intoxicating scent mixed with that of smoke. "I understand that, but what of them?" He asked as he motioned his head at her staring friends. "I wasn't expecting them. They went in to help mama with Souta and Jii-chan. Hojo got pinned under a beam that I pulled off of him." Their delicate hearing caught the sound of Inuyasha's snort. Every set of demon eyes turned to look at him.

Inuyasha blushed and scratched the back of his head as the humans watched on in confusion. Meihui, who had arrived along with the rest of her family, shook her head at her mate. Kagome lifted a brow then continued, "I couldn't leave them there so I brought them here. I hope that you are not upset." Sesshomaru tangled in hands in her hair and kissed her lips. "Never mate. That, however, doesn't mean that you are allowed to put yourself at risk again. Next time you feel like doing something reckless let me know."

Kagome rubbed her cheek against his. "I will." The two separated slightly, but Kagome remained wrapped her mate's tail, she knew that she wasn't out of the woods with him yet. She looked at her family and her friends. "Excuse me," Yuka began. Everyone turned to look at her and she swallowed nervously at the number of predatory eyes staring at her. "How can you possibly be Kagome? Kagome was supposed to be sick and in bed. She wasn't in her room or anywhere in the house when the fire started. I would know. I checked! Not to mention, you look weird."

"Yuka!" Cried Eri and Ayumi, startles by her audacity. Yuka looked at them. "You know it's true. Look at them. None of them, but that girl in the back, appears human. I think we need to hear an explanation and now. We deserve that much." Several growls sounded through the air and the young human teen felt the suffocating oppression of youkai press into her. She felt a chill down her spine at the maliciousness of the feeling.

"I suggest that you learn some respect within these next few seconds if you value that tongue of yours. I will not allow an outsider to disrespect our mother and pack alpha." Growled Mamoru. "Mamoru calm yourself." Daichi said as he placed a calming hand on his brother's shoulder. Mamoru stilled at his brother's touch and drew in his power as the others who had released it did so as well. Kagome nodded in thanks to her eldest pup. She gave Yuka a cold look. "I have a few introductions to make and then I'll get on to explaining. My pack comes before all else."

She gave the four friends a cold shoulder and she pulled her mother, Souta, and Jii-chan up from their spots. "Mama, Souta, Jii-chan, I would like you to meet my mate, Taisho Sesshomaru. He's CEO of Taisho Corp and the Inu Daiyoukai of the West." Sesshomaru moved away from his mate, still keeping his tail around her and bowed to her family. "It's a pleasure to meet you all at last. She has spoken of you a great deal throughout the centuries."

Hana, startled, bowed in return; Souta and Jii-chan doing the same after they stopped staring. "The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for taking care of my Kagome for me." The inu gave her a slight smile that made her breath hitch in her throat, stunned by his beauty. He moved aside and gestured to Shippo and Rin. Smiling at her adopted children, she turned to her mother. "This tall and handsome red head is my adopted son, Shippo and my adopted daughter Rin. You remember them?" Hana smiled at them.

"The little kitsune that traveled with you and Inuyasha and I believe you said Rin was Sesshomaru's ward." Kagome laughed softly. "Yes mama. Shippo mated Rin a few years after Sesshomaru and I were mated. Shippo is a famous artist known around the world and time periods under different names of course. I'm pretty sure that you've heard of the Mona Lisa?" Souta's mouth dropped. Shippo laughed. "One among many others." Souta smiled. Kagome Continued. "Rin is a very well-known doctor that works at the Odaiba Hospital." Rin smiled sweetly and bowed. "It's an honor Higurashi-baa-san."

Hana smiled and pulled the two of them into a hug. "The name is Hana dear and welcome to the family." They released her and to sit on the couch beside Sesshomaru and Kagome. Kagome motioned to her first three children who walked over obediently. They bowed before their parents and then to their grandmother, uncle, and great grandfather. Daichi was the first to speak. "I am Daichi, first born son of mother and father and heir to the throne of the West. These two are the first set of twins' mother and father had, Eiji and Aimi."

Eiji stepped forward and enveloped his grandmother in a hug. Silver blue and golden eyes danced with joy. He released her and then went on to give his uncle and great grandfather hugs as well. "Welcome to the family." Aimi gave them a wide smile. "Come now Eiji. Don't hog them. Daichi and I want a turn." Eiji gave a light chuckle as he went to sit beside Rin. Aimi pulled her silver hair away before she hugged and kissed each new addition of the family; golden, silver blue eyes swimming with joy as she joined her twin. Daichi hugged did the same as his brother, hugging them each.

He sat down in the floor between his standing father and the seated Shippo. Michiko and Mamoru followed next. Introducing themselves and giving their new pack mates a warm welcome; they both kissed their obaa-chan on the forehead with Michiko kissing the other two on the cheek. Mizuki and Tsukiko gave them all shy smiles that were entirely their brother, Dai's. "Are you two twins by any chance?" Asked Souta. They smiled at the same time. "Yes uncle Souta. We are the second set of twins mama had." Mizuki responded as she and Tsukiko moved away to give room to the triplets.

There were multiple gasps from not only the family, but also Kagome's classmates. The rest of Sesshomaru's pack knew why. Both sets of the triplets stepped forward. The females sat on the floor as their brothers stood and introduced themselves. "Hello. My name is Masaru. This is Kenshin and that's Yoshinori. We are the first of the triplets. Welcome." They each bowed and then took turns hugging. "How do we tell you apart?" Asked grandpa Higurashi as he tried to set them all apart.

The young males laughed. "It's by their hair grandpa. " Called Michiko. "They wear their hair down at night, but during the day they each have different hairstyles." Tsukiko hummed in agreement. "Masaru likes to wear his hair in a braid when he's in youkai form at home." Mizuki nodded. "Yup, and Kenshin wears it in a high ponytail." Dai spoke next from his spot. "Yoshinori wears his hair loose." Eiji laughed at the triplets' looks of exasperation.

He looked at his great grandfather. "As inu youkai we don't have to concern ourselves with their appearances because they each have a slightly different scent. Seeing as you don't have that advantage, you'll have to go by what they look like during the day. As you get to know them personally, you'll be able to pick up the difference in their personalities and know which one is which regardless of how they look."

The triplets nodded. "We could have spoken for ourselves." Masaru said in a neutral voice. "It's not going to hurt when we do it every once in a while." Aimi stated from her seat beside Eiji. The triplets moved away to leave the floor open to the girls. They each stood up from their positions with a fluid grace that Kagome's female friends envied. Each turned to their mother's family, bowed, straightened.

"My name is Akari and these are my sisters, Kazumi and Rumi." The girls bowed as their names were called. "We are the second and final set of triplets mama gave birth to. Like Eiji said you'll be able to tell us apart once you get to know us, but for the time being you can you use our colors to set us apart. We each wear accessories in a specific color." She reached down to pull the white fan from her obi. She unfurled it with practiced ease. "I will always carry something white. Kazumi's color is crimson red and Rumi's fan is made from lapis lazuli." Rumi lifted her fan to show them the beautiful blue framed fan.

Each girl hugged and kissed their family and then went to sit beside their triplet brothers on a couch opposite where Shippo and the others were. By this point Hana was stunned to tears, she looked around at them all. "You are all so stunning gorgeous. I'm so happy to meet you all. I can't begin to…" she stopped when her eyes landed on two at the back. One she didn't know, but the other she did. "Inuyasha?" She asked, unable to recognize the man that stood there.

Inuyasha blushed and moved forward, taking Meihui with him. "Mother Higurashi." He said to the poor woman, stunning her with how he regarded her before she smiled in joy. She wrapped her arms around him. "It's so good to see you again my boy. Who might you be?" She asked Meihui who stood beside them silently. Inuyasha brought her closer. "This is my mate Meihui. Meihui, this is Kagome's mother. She's the second person after Kagome to accept me as I was and cared for me as a mother would."

Meihui smiled. "Thank you for caring for him." Hana shook her head. "Not at all, he watched over Kagome while she was gone. It's the least I could do." Inuyasha then introduced her to Souta, who hugged him fiercely, and finally grandpa Higurashi. Once the introductions were done, they moved to the dining room where a late dinner hand been made for them. Kagome's family and friends stared in awe of the place she lived in and of her family. They all ate happily. The children sharing stories of what had gone on in their lives with all of them and when they were all done, Kagome began her story.

She started it from the very beginning for the benefit of her friends, her mate and her children who never knew any of it. She told them of how she fell into the well, how she released Inuyasha, nearly died at the hands of Sesshomaru, and how she had met all her friends. She went on about Kikyo's resurrection and the half of her soul that was ripped out of her body. She told them of Naraku and of the crimes he committed to anyone and everyone. She told him about his incarnations, about Kanna and Kagura who were still living.

She told them of the months before the final battle, and then the battle itself. Then for the first time in centuries she spoke of her conversation with Midoriko and her transformation. Then she went on about how when she came home, she believed them to be dead. She began the story of what had happened after Inuyasha had kicked her out and she had closed the well. Then of the things she had done throughout the years before settling at the Village of Edo and adopting Shippo.

She spoke of the time when Sesshomaru marked her as his intended and of the years that followed. Inuyasha at this time was given the stage and he spoke of his time in the Continent with Kikyo and then everything after his return, from his position as Commander to the war with the North. Then with inputs from everyone, they went on about how they had lived through history and survived thanks to Kagome's and Sesshomaru's efforts.

By the time they were done, it was well past 10:30 in the evening. Her mother was in tears as Souta and her grandfather gave her looks of distress. Her friends had looks of disbelief and shock. "You should call your parents. Tell them that you are staying over at a friend's house. Thankfully tomorrow is Saturday so it shouldn't be too much of an issue." Kagome mentioned to the silent high school teens. They didn't say anything at her at first. Kagome moved her head to the side. "What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell us anything? All this time you lied to us, to everyone. Did our friendship mean nothing to you?" Asked a hurt and furious Yuka. Eri looked at Kagome as well, her eyes shining with unshed tears of hurt. "I agree Kagome. Why didn't you tell us? You didn't tell even us the truth about that cheating ex-boyfriend of yours." She huffed as she pointed at Inuyasha, who sat with his arms crossed over his chest. He raised an eyebrow at her in the fashion of his brother.

Ayumi shook her head at her friends, when she looked at Kagome she gave her a sad smile. "I understand Kagome." She spoke softly. "I won't say that I'm not hurt or upset, but I do understand."Yuka glared at Ayumi. "How can you understand Ayumi? She lied! All those years that we worried sick for her and Hojo kept trying to make her feel better was nothing more than a pack of lies!" She hissed. Michiko gave Yuka a cold glare. "Put yourself in her shoes than." Yuka's anger died slightly under the woman's frosty gaze. "What?"

"Would you have told your friends that when you were fifteen you got dragged through an old well on your shrine by a centipede demon? Only to find that you've been sent five hundred years into the past and on a daily basis struggle to stay alive fighting demons, evil hanyou, power hungry humans, insane witches and dark mikos for shards of a legendary jewel. Then as the cherry on top to say that said jewel was ripped out of your body because you were born with it and that you're the reincarnation of its pervious protector. How do you think they would take that?"

Yuka said nothing as her shoulders slumped in defeat. "They wouldn't believe me. They think I was nuts and needed to be locked up in a psych ward." Masaru lifted a brow then. "If that's the case why should my mother be an exception to the rule? Why should she have put herself in such a compromising position to make people believe something they think to be only myth and legend? Simply because it's you and because you doing like being lied to? Big deal, no one does."

"Okay I get that, but what about Hojo. You've been leading him on for years. "Said Eri. Kagome sighed. "For heaven's sake, I did no such thing. You pushed him on me and he couldn't take the hint. There was a reason I said no to all those times you asked me for a date Hojo. I'm sorry that it came to this, but you all should have guessed at it long ago. Besides it's a good thing I didn't Eri. It would have put a very large strain on our friendship if I caught you two one day. As it is I can smell your scents all over each other and I mean in a way that indicates sexual activity."

Eri blushed and Hojo turned red. "As for Inuyasha, I never said that he was my boyfriend. You three simply assumed that he was. Yes, he was my first love and yes there was a love triangle between me, him, and Kikyo but it never became more than that because of that very reason. Next time you want to accuse someone of being untruthful be sure you have nothing to hide yourself." Her steel gaze softened.

"I'm not upset at all. I'm happy for you two. I knew about your love for him Eri so it surprised me when you went along with this nonsense. Now you two have a change at being happy together. Don't let this ruin it for you. We all managed to find happiness with someone after so much suffering. While you may not have experienced in your young lives as much as any of us have, I think that you can find happiness too. Now give your families a call and you'll be shown to your rooms by the Yuki."

They all got up and said their good nights before heading to their rooms. Kagome lingered behind. She kissed her mother's cheek and that of her brother and grandfather. "Get some rest. You'll need it. You'll meet the rest of the family once they are up. Good night." She said to them as a maid told the group to follow her. She watched them until they were gone and smiled up at her mate as he wrapped his tail around her and she around him. "Come mate." Kagome nodded and with that they went in the direction to their room.

SKSKSKSKSK

Morning came too early for the tired group of humans that woke from the sudden sound of a mini stampede and a loud roar of laughter; they each found clothes on a table next to their beds and proceeded to get ready. Ayumi, Yuka, Eri, and Hojo stepped out of their rooms and stood together in a bunch as they waited for the approaching Higurashi's.

They smiled at each other before saying a soft good morning. "Kagome-baa-chan! They finally woke up." Cried a little girl with black hair streaked with copper red. She had gorgeous blue green eyes, pointed ears, fluffy tail and was dressed in an orange fighting kimono. Kagome stepped out from a doorway looking regal in a metallic black and sapphire colored fighting kimono with the crest of the West embroidered in silver blue stitching. Her floor length hair was left loose to fall behind her in waves and her tail was wrapped around her silver blue obi waist and over her shoulder in the fashion of her mate.

Kagome's family and friends could only stare in awe of her beauty as last night had been too much of a shock for them to really consider the differences. Yuka and Eri were green with envy while Ayumi was simply astounded. Hojo was having a very male reaction in approval of her new appearance that Kagome fought not to scrunch her nose in offense of his scent.

"Natsumi koi what are you doing inside. You know you're supposed to be outside." She said as she walked over to the seven year old child with fluid grace. Natsumi looked up at her and nodded before flashing her beloved grandmother a cute grin. "Papa said to come get you. jii-chan is waiting for you." Kagome smiled down at her and nodded. "Let jii-chan know that I'll be out soon. I'm just getting everything ready for them to eat." Natsumi smiled and ran out of the house.

Kagome looked at them all with silver blue eyes so beautiful and unnatural that her friends shuddered in nervous admiration. Kagome smiled, a fang peaking through. "I know. It took a while for me to get use to seeing myself like this. It took longer still to learn how to control my beast and learn how to use my powers, but in the long run, it was worth it. Good morning by the way." She said as she hugged her family, rubbing her cheek against theirs and purring in delight.

Hana laughed. "What is a beast dear?" She asked as Souta ran his hand through the fur of her tail. "Wow! This is so soft. What is it?" Kagome laughed as she allowed it to uncoil itself from her shoulder and waist. "It's my tail Souta." His eyes nearly fell out of his head. "A tail? I saw all of you with it last night but I thought that it was like a fashion trend you guys had going on that you could control."

Kagome laughed. "No, it's not a fashion trend. These are our tails. In our humanoid forms, we use them as a storage for the any extra power that our smaller bodies can't completely hold. In our true forms, they are just our tails. Turning back to her mother, she explained, "I'll tell you all about that later if you don't mind mama." Her mother nodded in understanding.

She glanced over at Yuki, who stood beside her. "Lady Kagome, everything has been moved outside as you ordered." Kagome smiled. "Thank you Yuki. You may all take a break." Yuki bowed. "Thank you my lady." With that she bowed once to her lady and another to her lady's visitors before she disappeared back into the doorway that Kagome had come out of some time before.

"My Lady?" Hojo asked. Kagome was slightly startled at hearing his voice. After all, he hadn't said a word last night. She nodded as she moved forward, the others following behind her instinctively. "Yes. I said last night that my mate Sesshomaru is the Inu Daiyoukai of the West. Since he is lord, I am his lady. A few centuries ago, he was the most powerful of the taiyoukai, but as his power grew in his age so did his rank. Of the four ruling clans, our clan is not only most powerful but it's also the largest." She stated as she lead them outside.

They all released a gasp at the number of youkai in the yard. Over thirty at the very least. Kagome laughed. "Come this way. Breakfast has been made and served for you." She led them to a low table under a gorgeous willow. They all took their seats. "You're not going to eat Kagome." Asked Ayumi who worried for her friend's health despite the fact that she looked far healthier than most people she knew. Kagome gave her a kind smile. "No thank you. As youkai, we are not required to eat as often as humans do. Last's night's meal will last us a few weeks, but we still eat just out of the necessity to blend in with humanity in this era."

She looked over her shoulder, feeling as if someone was staring at her and met the heated gaze her mate sent her and the predatory grin. She felt a shudder of pleasure run down her spine. She returned his grin with one of her own; their demonic ears caught the groan Inuyasha released. "Please you two. No more." Sesshomaru looked at his brother. "Hn. Are you then the only one allowed to admire his mate?" He asked him in his smooth baritone that made Kagome's friends melt into butter. Kagome glanced back and suppressed a chuckle as they stared at her mate dreamily.

Inuyasha huffed as everyone laughed at him. "As a matter of fact, Uncle Inuyasha had no problem admiring his mate as she mopped the floor with him this morning. That's probably why you lost. Hmmm, mind in the gutter much?" Called the dark haired Takumi, Shippo's first son. Inuyasha blushed as his mate gave him a side long glance. "I must agree with you Takumi." Meihui said as she purred in a way that she knew would get her mate hot and bothered.

Inuyasha's face flushed bright red. He turned away and disappeared into the house as the younger of the pups looked on in confusion and the older ones leaned against one another in their laughing fits. Kagome shook her head. "He just had to give Takumi that opening." She looked at her friends as they stared at them all in wonder. "This is nothing new. Inuyasha always gets teased by the pups. He is their favorite uncle."

She glanced at Souta. "You better pray they don't take to you the way they did him. A little less than half of them are kitsune hanyou or three quarter kitsune youkai. They know how to cause trouble. You should have Inuyasha tell you of all the pranks they played on him when he first returned from the Continent." She told him with a grin. She turned on her heal and lifted a clawed hand in greeting. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we have to finish up today's training. Afterwards, the pups will introduce their mates and young ones to you.

SKSKSKSKSK

It was two hours later that the Western Inu clan had finished their training and were now sitting and resting. Everyone, from youngest to oldest, attempted to catch their breath and calm their racing hearts as their sensei's, also known as, Kagome, Sesshomaru, Daichi, Shippo, and Inuyasha had quite literal drilled them to the ground. The pups bit back whimpers as sore muscles cramped. They immediately silenced themselves and attempted to pull on "the family mask" as they had dubbed it and allowed the cool breeze to dry their damp flesh.

The Higurashi family, along with the high school teens, watched in amazement as each instructor taught a different group in a different weapon or fighting style before running drills and finally pairing random individuals for duals. Kagome could be seen in the arms of her mate smiling with pride along with her two sons and brother-in-law. Sesshomaru was his customary self, expressionless but for a small upturn of his lips.

Once the humans were finished eating, the youkai staff picked up the dirty dishes and walked away, bowing to their lord and lady before going on their way. Kagome sat beside her mother and Sesshomaru took his place beside her, silent but offering a greeting to his mate's family. "Kagome dear, is it okay for the young children to be learning to fight at this age?" Hana asked in concern for the many small pups she could see sprawled out on the grass next to each other.

Kagome nodded. "Yes mama. Demon children are far different from human children. Their bodies can withstand greater stress than humans can. Not to mention that in this day and age, it's a hundred times more important for them to learn how to control their beasts, which is our animal self, as well as their powers. Left unchecked their beast can take control over them and wreak havoc or they can hurt themselves of those around them with their powers." She said.

Sesshomaru bowed his head once in agreement then added. "That is especially true of our pups. I inherited my poison from my mother's side of the family only mine is far more potent then hers. My pups were also born with this ability. A drop of our poison will kill a human in second, a youkai in an hour or so depending on how strong they are. In large quantities, it'll melt through anything like acid." Kagome cocked her head to the side.

"There is also the fact that they were born with my priestess abilities. So they have to learn how to control two abilities that were originally made to destroy one another. They have to learn how to heal, seal, and destroy with youkai and do the same with reiki. It's trickier still, when they have to charge both differing powers into whatever weapon they are using and since we are living outside of the barriers, they cannot go wild. So we do this for ourselves and the pups. It serves the purpose of exhausting us, strengthening us, and keeping all our senses sharp."

Sesshomaru caught the gaze of Shippo and made a small gesture that only their clan understood. Shippo looked over to his twin daughter's Natsumi and Natsuko. Both woman nodded and gathered their brood and walked the small distance. Kagome smiled. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Shippo and Rin's first children; the twins Natsumi and Natsuko."

Both red heads bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." Stated Natsumi. "Otou told us about you." Continued Natsuko. "May we present our families to you?" Hana nodded eagerly. "Yes please." Natsumi went first. She introduced her mate Hiro, an earth fox youkai with dark brown hair, leaf green eyes, and a single green stripe on his tanned cheeks. He was tall and polite, kind and calm. Next were her two pups, Hatsuharu and Sakura. Hatsuharu was a boy of apparently nine years of age with reddish brown hair and tail, green striped cheeks, and green eyes. Sakura was a six year old with red hair, red tail, no markings, and green eyes.

Natsuko introduced her mate Yuki, an artic fox with silver hair, white eyes, and a shimmery pale white snowflake on his forehead. Their eldest seven year old daughter, Fuyo, was her father in likeness while their five year old, Daisuke, was his mother. After they were done, they bowed and left. Next in line was Takumi. He gave them a wide smile and warm greet before introducing his mate, Sayuri, a crimson red haired fox demon with bright blue eyes.

He introduced his sons, Hiro and Katsuo. Hiro was his eldest eleven year old son who had the likeness of his mother, with his father's outgoing personality. Katsuo was a shy boy of nine who had black hair and blue eyes. Then came little Natsumi who gave them her signature smile and bowed low with the rest of her family to make way for her uncles, Yoshihiro and Yoshio.

Yoshihiro, the spitting image of his father gave them a charming grin, red hair falling over his shoulder in thick waves. His green eyes danced with merriment as he introduced his mate, Ayame. Ayame was a black fox youkai with brown eyes. Yoshio introduced himself as Yoshihiro's opposing twin. He then followed by introducing a young woman who looked exactly like Ayame. Yoshio laughed at their expressions as he explained that his mate, Mayu, was Ayame's twin. Both sisters were swollen with child. Ayame a month or two further along than Mayu.

Finally, Kohaku stepped forward. A gorgeous man with black streaked red hair and green eyes. He smiled at them all and presented his intended, Saki, a silver fox. She was a beauty with silver strands of hair that ended at a black tip. Her tail was black with six inches of pristine white at the end. She had eyes the color of sun that surrounded a cat's narrow pupil.

Daichi came up next with his black inu youkai mate, Yuzuki, and their three pups. Seventeen year old, Hisoka, with his mother's black hair and his father's golden eyes and markings. Twelve year old, Natsuko, with her father's crest and silver hair and her mother's silver eyes. Last but not least, was seven year old, Keiji, who had inherited his mother's looks, black hair and silver eyes, along with the crest of his grand sire.

Eiji and Aimi introduced their mates. A blood red inu female with the power over the fire element named Rina and a dark brown inu with the power of earth named Gaia. With them were two pups, a thirteen year old girl named Kaoru and a two year old name Shigure. Michiko stepped forth with a golden inu Riku and an infant pup named Satori. The mated couple handed their swaddled bundle to Hana who cooed over the little black and gold pup.

Retrieving their sleeping infant, they made way for Mamoru with his grey inu from England named Daine and a nine year old pup named Kai. Up next were the twins, Mizuki and Tsukiko. Mizuki introduced her silver blue wind inu mate named Kaze and a three year old daughter named Sakura. Tsukiko presented her six year old son Akira and her shadow controlling inu mate, Lee.

The triplets, Masaru, Kenshin, and Yoshinori stepped forward with three exquisite dragon females. An amethyst eyed and smoky black haired fire user with the name Avatre bowed as Masaru introduced her. Nightshade, a black haired and silver eyed female from the Americas was warmly as Kenshin gave them her name. Then Yoshinori tugged forward, his lovely lunar dragon mate named Tempest Moon. None had pups.

Finally, there were Akari, Kazumi, and Rumi. Unlike the others who were youkai in one form or another, these males with powerful warrior and magic wielding elves. The first who stood close to Akari was a tanned skinned male with dark chocolate colored hair and steel grey eyes that went by the name of Lëo. Kazumi's mate was a white haired male with sky blue eyes who presented himself by the name of Órion and Rumi's mate was a platinum blond haired, emerald eyed male named Thurin.

Once done, many of the children broke away from their parents to investigate their new pack members. Throughout the entire exchange Kagome watched her friends and restrained a laugh as their jaws dropped lower and lower with the presentation of each of her beautiful children and grandchildren and of course gorgeous mates.

Sesshomaru, while finding their expressions amusing, didn't particularly like how Hojo kept glancing at his mate when she wasn't looking. At one point, the boy had looked in his direction, not expecting to meet his cold eyes. The boy gulped and turned away, keeping his eyes off his mate. Satisfied, Sesshomaru and Kagome moved away from the others as they allowed their children and grandchildren to surround the table and talk to their family and Kagome's friends.

As the couple sat at the base of a cherry blossom tree no longer in bloom, they wrapped themselves around each other; watching as they all laughed and played together. Many of the pups pulled Souta along with Inuyasha following to make sure that they didn't traumatize the poor kid with their pranks. The woman and men surrounded Kagome's mother and grandfather. Sharing tales and asking question, her daughter's doting on her grandfather as the older man blushed.

The pups that were in their teens sat beside Kagome's friends and shared answered whatever questions Ayumi, Yuka, Eri, and Hojo would ask regardless of what it was that they were asking about. The humans all watched them, listening with rapt attention to everything coming out of their mouths.

Streams of conversation floated on the wind to the silent couple. Sesshomaru nuzzled his nose against his mate's throat. "Is this what you have been waiting for mate?" He asked as the scent of complete bliss strengthened her natural scent. He growled appreciatively, kissing the column of her neck.

Kagome sighed happily and closed her eyes, dipping her head to one side to give him all the access he wanted. She reached a clawed hand back and tangled her fingers in his sleek hair. "Yes. I have been dreaming of this day for centuries my love and now, our pups can have the best of both worlds just like I did."

He separated himself from her lovely neck and Kagome whined her displeasure. He hooked a clawed finger under her chin and turned her face to his. Raising a brow he asked, "You call that hormone driven boy and those annoying girls the best of this world?" Kagome laughed at the sarcasm dripping from his words.

She shook her head. She rubbed her cheek against his. "Hojo could never get the picture. Yuka is a bit of a hot head and Eri was always in love with Hojo. Ayumi is the more understanding of them all not to mention the romantic. That, however, is no what I meant." Placing bother hands on his cheeks, she gently turned his head back to the happy scene in front of them.

"My pack is now complete. My mama, my brother, and my jii-chan are here to see and experience what you and our pack have given me. Our pack can now have what my mama, my brother, and my jii-chan gave me freely and without condition. For the first time I can say that both halves of my heart and life are whole. I am now truly complete."

Sesshomaru turned back to his mate. His tail wrapped around her as his hand slipped into her silky hair. He pulled her into his, his body molding itself against hers and kissed her with all the passion and fire he had in him. Kagome felt her heart swell and her brain turn to mush as she melted into his intoxicating touch, falling into the molten heat that was their love.

She paid no mind to the pressure of the ground against her back. Only his scorching caress and fiery kisses registered in her mind, sang to her heart, ignited her soul. The curtain of his silver hair hid them from the view of the world outside and in that moment only they existed. Sesshomaru pulled away and stared at the glorious image his mate made as her chest rose and fell with greedy intakes of breath.

His passion filled golden eyes burned into his mate's glazed silver blue. "I am glad and I will fight for the rest of my life until my last breath to keep it so. I love you mate and there is nothing I wouldn't do for you." Kagome gave him a heart stopping smile. "Thank you mate. I love you."

"Hey you two, get a room!" Cried Inuyasha, effectively shattering the moment. They turned to look at him then back at one another. The beginnings of laughter bubbled deep within their chests and forced themselves out their mouth. Kagome laughed in her joy of finally having her happily ever after and Sesshomaru's gorgeous laughter joined hers as the bliss of his mate resonated through his soul. Gold met watery blue and together thought. _**"Together at last; always and forever."**_

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A/N: I did it! I can't believe I did it! My first story completed. I hope that you all enjoyed this extra-long chapter and "Truly Complete" as whole. Please let me know what you think.

P.S. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. Also, thanking all those who followed me or my story. Thanking Sugar0o. I've read quite a bit of your stories. You're one of my favorite writers and I'm so happy that my story was able to capture your attention. Once again, thank you all.


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